Protector of the King's Own
by PsychoLioness
Summary: [Ch 16 Up] Kel gets kicked out of Page training and is taken in by Raoul as a member of the King's Own. Unfortunately, Raoul takes Joren on as his Squire the following year...
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything in this chapter apart from the plot.

**A/N:** This is the second version of this story, I've gone through it, corrected mistakes and added little details, nothing vital to the story plot though. I promise, Chapter Six will be coming soon! Don't eat me! Please!

**Prologue******

Keladry of Mindelan walked steadily out of Lord Wyldon's office and into the hallway where she bumped into her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove. He wore the palace red and gold of a page. They were dusty and torn and Kel presumed that he'd forgotten to change into his training clothes before going out to the practise courts. He had a habit of doing that and it didn't make him a favourite at the palace tailors. Half way through the year, they had told him that they didn't want to see him again until the start of the new training year. He'd come back the next month with clothes badly stitched up and in desperate need of professional stitching. Duke Baird, Neal's father, had been told that he was to pay for new clothes for his son and to make sure that he looked after them. Kel grinned slightly at the memory.

Neal's emerald green eyes searched her face for any sign of emotion. There was a slight grin on her lips, but that soon faded and was replaced by what had become known as her 'Yamani mask'. "So you can stay?" he asked eagerly. He didn't think for a moment that she wouldn't be able to stay. She had done better than most of the boys that year and had played a leading role in the Spidren hunt with the King's Own.

Kel blinked slowly in an effort not to cry. Her Yamani mask faltered and then held. "No, I've got to leave." She walked off to her room where she started to pack methodically, leaving Neal standing in the hall fuming.

"Mithros curse the Stump!" Neal growled. Her ran to Kel's door and flung it open.

"Have you never heard of knocking Neal?" Kel asked, smiling. She walked over to the drawers and emptied the contents onto her bed. She sorted through them, throwing a few things into the bin and folding most of them into her saddlebags.

Neal stared in wonder at his friend wondering how she could smile when she had just been thrown out of page training after her first year. "Em…" For once he, Nealan of Queenscove, captain of the university debate team, was at a loss for words.

Kel heaved a worn bag off of her bed and pointed to another one. "Can you give me a hand with these please?"

Wordlessly Neal nodded and lifted the bag off of the bed.

Kel's eyes scanned the room for anything she had left behind and spotted a piece of paper lying on the desk. She darted forwards and picked it up. Her eyes skimmed the text and then she tore off part of it. She handed it to Neal. "My address at Mindelan. If you're ever over that way, you can visit."

Neal nodded and tears welled up in his eyes. Kel was taking it all so calmly. If he were her, he would have shouted and thrown things until he was escorted from his rooms. "I'll write," he promised. He knew he would. If she was lucky she would only end up with two or three pages a week, on the other hand, his cousin had always complained that his letters had a tendency to run on slightly. Personally, Neal didn't see anything wrong with a letter that was six or seven pages long.

Kel grinned. "I'd like that. Say bye to the rest of my friends for me, could you?"

Neal nodded. For a moment he could have sworn that he saw maliciousness in Kel's gaze, but it was gone as soon as it had come and he presumed he had just imagined it. She smiled slightly at him. "Do me a favour and tell Joren that he hasn't seen the last of female pages. I expect they'll be some more."

Neal threw an inquisitive glance at Kel, wondering what she meant.

Kel picked up the glance. "Just because I've failed, doesn't mean that no one else will ever train. Someone, somewhere will want to follow in Lady Kel's footsteps, and when they do, I'll be standing there cheering as they're knighted."

Neal nodded, that made sense, but he didn't think it was very likely. However, he wasn't going to destroy her hopes again, not after Wyldon had so effectively done that for her.

Slowly, Kel walked towards her door and opened it. She gestured for Neal to go through, which he did, and she took one last glance at the room then closed the door for the last time. She paused with her hand on the outside door handle; she really didn't want to leave. This place had been her home for the last year and she had made so many friends. There was Neal, with his quirky personality and good looks, the giant red-head Cleon and all his pet names, Roald, with his quiet confidence and the chubby Merric, her year mate and friend. I've made plenty of enemies as well, Kel thought ruefully as she saw Joren, Zahir and Garvey in her minds-eye. She forced herself to turn and walk down the corridor with Neal sticking close to her side.

She walked quickly down to the stable, biting back the tears that were threatening to ruin her calm façade. She couldn't believe that she was really seeing everything for the last time. When she reached the stables, she looked at the horses with dismay.

"What's the matter Kel?" Neal asked, wondering why she was studying Peachblossom with such obvious disconcertment.

"I think I'll have to walk home," she answered calmly, as if the three-day ride to Mindelan was nothing. It would take her a good fifteen days to walk from Corus to Mindelan and that was without her luggage. And she was hardly armed, she probably wouldn't make it home. A young girl travelling alone would seem easy prey to bandits. At the most, Neal reckoned she had a blunt belt knife and that long, sharp stick of hers, the glaive.

"Why?" Neal asked, wondering what mad idea Kel had got into her head.

"Don't have a horse." The way she said it made it sound like it was the most obvious answer in the world.

"What about Peachblossom?" Neal asked incredulously.

"Neal, he isn't mine. He belongs to the crown. I was just borrowing him," Kel explained quietly. "I'll miss him."

Neal fought hard not to grin. That was so typical of Kel, she wouldn't admit to missing him or any of their other friends, but she would admit to missing that horrid horse. "You won't miss me?" he asked. "Or Cleon, or Roald, or Merric, or Seaver, or Faleron, or even Prosper?"

Kel grinned. "I might miss the others, but I'll be glad to get rid of you," she replied with a laugh.

"That's mean!" Neal protested.

Kel started to grin, but lost the enthusiasm to do so half way through. "No, I will miss you."

Neal fought to keep the astonishment out of his eyes. He had known Kel would miss him, he just hadn't expected her to say so.

"I'll miss you too, Kel," he said gruffly, hugging her tight.

Kel returned the hug. Then she pulled away saying sensibly, "now I think I'd better get moving. I'd like to have travelled a decent distance by night-fall." She ran a hand through her hair and settled one of her travel bags on her shoulders, readjusted her tunic and picked the other bag up in her right hand.

Neal nodded blankly and it suddenly all sunk in. His best friend was leaving. "Well — Well I'll see you about then."

Kel nodded, and Neal could see flickers of many different emotions on her face before it became calm and emotionless again.

Kel had walked through the palace gates before Neal had realised she was gone. Shaking himself out of his gaze he leapt on to his horse and galloped after her. "Kel, wait!" he yelled when he could see her slim figure.

She turned around, the surprise evident on her face. "Neal, I thought we'd said goodbye. You know, one of us stays at the palace, the other leaves? Both of us aren't meant to leave."

Neal rolled his eyes at the behaviour that was so typical of his best friend. "I know, I'm not leaving. But," he said, getting off his horse, "I thought you'd prefer to ride home than walk. Here." He handed the reins of his horse, Magewhisper, to Kel. "You can take her. She's mine, father bought her for me before I started at the University, and so I figure she must be mine to give away. You can take her; I can easily get myself another horse."

Kel stared in amazement at him, and Neal knew she was going to refuse. He hugged her tightly before she could complain then left.

Kel stood staring at Magewhisper in disbelief. No matter how good friends they were, he shouldn't have done that. Sighing, she mounted up and started the ride home.

* * *

**A/N:** Well? What did you think of that? I know it's short, but it's only the prologue.

Also, I apologise for any mis-naming of people. For some reason my computer turns the words 'Neal' and 'Mindelan' into 'Kel', so I had 'Keladry of Kel walked steadily…' etc. I've tried to change it, but I wouldn't put it past my computer to change them back again.


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** I own the names of Jak, Gavin and Theo, but not the actually characters (if you get the gist).

**A/N:** This originally used to be one long chapter, but now, it's two shorter chapters. This is the first part and the second part is in the next chapter. I just felt it worked better that way.

**Chapter One**

Dom read his cousin's letter again, and anger flashed in his eyes.

_Dom,_

_I can't believe Lord Wyldon would do this to her! By her I mean Kel, the same girl I've been writing to you about for the last year. He forbade her to continue her Page trainin!. Can you believe it? He forbade her to continue her Page training! I can't believe it! It just isn't fair. You saw how well she did at the Spidren hunt, you were there. Surely the Stump should have allowed her to stay! He can't have any grounds to dismiss her, she's trained ten times harder than any of the boys this year, and put up with all the sneering remarks. For that matter, she's put up with Joren and his gang. And on top of that, she's put up with Lord Wyldon, Mithros bless her, I don't know how she did it. If I were her, I would have torn his head off long ago. I should have, then he wouldn't have been around to dismiss her. How can he do this to her? So blatantly destroy her hopes and dreams. Honestly Dom, you should have seen her yesterday when she was packing, she was so calm I couldn't believe it. But that's her blasted Yamani mask for her, she won't let anyone know how she's feeling. It just isn't fair._

_Anyway, on a happier note, how are you? I hope you haven't forgotten Sanya's birthday, again. She was very annoyed with you when you forgot last year, especially considering it was her tenth. If you have forgotten, as I suspect you have, there's no point in sending anything to the convent, she's home for the harvest. I don't know why they bother to send the girls home for harvest, it's not like they actually do any work! I can see the point in sending the pages home, we do work! The girls won't, for fear of chipping a nail or bringing calluses out on their hands. Also, you may wish to be reminded that it's my mother's birthday just before Midwinter, don't forget that._

_Is Lord Raoul working you to the grindstone? I sincerely hope he is. I couldn't stand the idea of me working myself to death at the palace and all you're doing is lazing around in a camp somewhere, avoiding the palace._

_Come and see me if you're ever at the palace._

_Neal_

"What in Mithros' name has your cousin said to annoy you this time Dom?" Raoul asked his sergeant. Dom's anger was evident in everything about him from his bright blue eyes to his normally relaxed posture.

Dom shook himself out of his daze, and turned to face his commander. "For a change, Neal hasn't done anything." He handed Raoul the letter, and left, vowing some sort of revenge. It was odd, he had never met Kel, but he already felt like he knew her just through Neal's letters. He knew absolutely everything that happened in the palace thanks to Neal, and an awful lot about Kel. He had hoped to work with her when she was knighted, but it seemed that would never be happening. She wasn't going to face the Chamber of Ordeal and show the realm that women could be knights.

* * *

A few minutes later, Raoul sat down by the fire thinking hard. He had a crazy plan and it might just work. 

Later that night a messenger left the area where the third company of the King's Own was camping. He carried this message to Kel:

_Lady Kel,_

_I would be most pleased if you would meet me on the south end of your fief on the third day of October at noon._

_Sincerely,_

_Commander of the King's Own, Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak._

- - -

Kel read through the message, shaking her head in puzzlement. She couldn't understand why Lord Raoul would want to see her. And how did he know she still wasn't at the palace? Word of her dismissal couldn't have got to him that fast, could it? She knew that gossip travelled fast, but Kel had said something about his cousin still being in the field, and wasn't his cousin a Sergeant in Raoul's Company?

"Hey, look, it's the Cow!" a voice called tauntingly.

Kel whirled around from her seat by the River Domin as she recognised that voice. It was Gavin, one of the boys she had run into only a year ago in the very same spot. He and two friends had been trying to drown some kittens, she had saved them. He hadn't changed much. His brown hair was still messy with hay and dirt sticking to it. His clothes were pitiful, not what Kel was used to, but then again, Mindelan hardly had any money.

"Looks like she wasn't good enough to train as a knight, so they sent her home," Jak sneered.

Kel got to her feet wearily and she was surprised to find that she towered over both Jak and Gavin by quite some way. "I've been called worse than that," she commented, remembering Joren's insults and punches. She hadn't expected to find trouble as soon as she got home, but she had.

"So they did throw you out," Gavin said grinning.

Kel nodded. "Yeah, they threw me out, but not because I wasn't good enough. Lord Wyldon himself said I was better than any of the other boys, but the father of one of the other pages paid him to throw me out," she explained, remembering the cold hard look in Lord Burchard's eyes as he said that Wyldon had agreed with him that she was too disruptive to be allowed to continue her training. "So, you better not be planning on picking a fight with me, because I could win easily. I've had a year of experience fighting outnumbered."

Jak snorted. "You couldn't beat a fly!"

"Well," Kel said, reaching for her daggers that were stuck in her belt. "You're entitled to your own opinion." She was reassured to feel a weapon in her hand again and was scared slightly by the intense feeling that came over her. She was surprised how much she had missed fighting. Was she turning into a violent barbarian?

"And our opinion is right!" Gavin said firmly, shifting into fighting stance that Kel could see left a lot to be desired. If the Shang Horse could see that, he would have had a fit and instructed him to stand in a proper fighting stance for the rest of the training session.

Sighing, Kel launched herself at him as he reached for a rusty dagger.

The ensuing scuffle was short with Kel the victor. She was pleasantly surprised to find out how much she had progressed in her year at the palace.

As she helped Gavin to his feet, she asked, "What happened to Theo?" Theo was the youngest of the group of three that Kel had fought with the year before. He had only been six the last time she had seen him.

"Shang," Gavin panted. "You're good." He looked at Kel in awe. She was barely panting, and he hadn't managed to cut her in the slightest.

"Why didn't you go?" Kel asked quietly.

"I was too old. They only take those up to seven. I was twelve when they came."

Kel nodded her understanding and she thought that she saw a look of regret in his eyes. "You aren't going to make picking fights with me a habit are you? It would get quite tiring if I had to fight you every time I want to sit by the river."

Gavin grinned and shook his head. The girl that had left for the palace a year ago was completely different from the one that was standing right in front of him. He didn't like the old Kel, but he thought he could learn to get on with the new one. "No."

"Good," Kel replied, returning his grin. "I need to go, I promised Anders that I'd play with his sons."

"Sure, I'll be seeing you then." Gavin turned around, looking around for Jak. "Mithros curse him!" he yelled when he couldn't see him.

Kel turned around. "What's the matter?" she called back to him from further up the river.

"Jak," Gavin yelled back. "He's left."

Kel rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you can find your way home on your own," she shouted to him, and continued on the way back to her house.

* * *

A few weeks later, Kel sat up tall and proud on Magewhisper as she rode out of the grounds of the Mindelan house. She was going to meet Lord Raoul, and after weeks of thinking, she still couldn't understand why he wanted to see her. She could only presume that he needed some news from the palace or that Kel's cousin needed to get a message to him. 

"Kel! Kel!" Gavin called, running to catch up with her. "Where are you going?"

"To the edge of the fief to meet someone," Kel replied, pulling back on Mage's reins, making him slow down a bit so Gavin could walk beside her.

"Who?" Gavin asked.

"Lord Sir Raoul," Kel replied simply.

Gavin's eyes widened at the mention of Raoul's name. "The Giantkiller!" he whispered in awe. "What does he want with you?"

Kel shrugged, "I don't know."

Gavin smiled as someone called his name and titled his head on one side as he tried to catch what the person was shouting. "I need to go, mother wants help with carrying the water," he said, and with a wave he ran off to the village well. Kel watched him until he had lifted the buckets from his mother and started towards his house.

Then she clucked to Magewhisper, and rode off at a canter. She would be late if she wasn't careful. She had the road that bordered the fief in sight when Mage bucked and tried to throw her off. Kel fought to gain control of her horse, and when she had her under control, she dismounted carefully, trying not to spook her mount. When Kel saw Magewhisper's legs, she hissed with sympathy. There was a large gash in her legs, and a very sharp stone protruding from the wound. There was a snap of a twig behind her, and Kel froze.

"Who's there?" she demanded harshly, sounding a lot more confident than she felt. Suddenly something, or rather someone, leapt at her through the bushes. It was Jak. "Hey, what are you doing?" she demanded as she defended herself with a sharp punch to his stomach.

"What do you think I'm doing, Cow?" he growled. "I'm teaching you a lesson you'll never forget!"

"You know," Kel grunted as she threw him off of her, and pinned him to the ground. "I knew people at the palace who thought they could do that, but they didn't manage. So you won't either." She was dimly aware of a shadow falling over her and Jak and cursed herself for not checking that there wasn't anyone else in the clearing. She wouldn't put it past Jak to bring some of the other village boys with him. She braced herself for the blow that would probably come from her head and tried to reach inconspicuously for her daggers.

Jak's sneering face turned to one of horror and his face went pale. "Honestly S-sir, I-I…"

Puzzled, Kel turned around, he wouldn't be calling a village boy 'sir'. She saw a large figure standing behind her. Getting off of the ground, she dusted herself down and looked up at him. Seeing who it was, she bowed and stayed bowed until he gestured for her to rise again. "I'm sorry sir. We fell down," she said in reply to his amused questioning look.

Jak looked at her with surprise but thankfully didn't say anything. He regarded the hulking figure nervously and tried to stand, but Kel placed a firm hand on his shoulder and he stopped.

Raoul grinned. "I know, you fell down. I'm not that stupid Kel."

Kel shrugged. "I'm sorry sir, but I fell down, and I accidentally er — brought Jak down with me?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" Raoul asked with mock seriousness.

Inwardly Kel cursed. "A statement, my Lord." She had perfected lying to Wyldon about fighting. He never believed her, but it sounded like what she was saying was the truth whereas what she had told Raoul sounded unsure and shaky. She hadn't expected him there.

"Don't even try to convince me Kel," Raoul said, giving Jak a hand up. "I used that excuse so much when I was a page that I wouldn't believe it even if it was true."

Kel fought to maintain her Yamani mask. It was hard to imagine Raoul fighting with anyone when he wasn't in battle, it was even harder to imagine him as a page.

"You know each other?" Jak blurted out with surprise.

"Yes," Raoul replied. "Kel led a Spidren hunt that I was on this summer."

Jak looked at Kel in awe who immediately protested. "My Lord, I did nothing of the kind!"

Raoul motioned for her to be quiet. "It was you who found the Spidren nest, was it not?" When Kel nodded, he continued, "You led that part of the hunt, so don't bother protesting."

Kel sighed, not wanting to argue with such a great warrior.

"But you're the Giantkiller, why would you want to know the Cow?" Jak asked.

Raoul laughed and his sloe eyes lit up with merriment. He turned to Kel, "So it's the Cow now, when did you stop being the Yamani Lump?"

Kel stared at him amazement. "How'd you know Joren called me that?"

"Dom," was the one word answer.

Kel looked at him puzzled. "Who?" she asked.

"You mean Neal hasn't told you about him?" Raoul asked. "He's Neal's cousin. Neal writes to Dom quite a lot, and tells him everything that is going on, and everything about you. Dom couldn't help but tell me."

Kel clenched her fists and muttered something about killing Neal. She recognised the name now. It was Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle. Even though he was Neal's cousin, she wasn't sure whether she liked the idea of him knowing about her. And Neal had no right to be telling people about her!

"Yes," Raoul said. "When I first met him, I believe I wanted to do something very similar to him."

"Ah, but sir, you _wanted_ to do it, I _will_ do it," Kel said quietly

"Oh well, if you ask Dom to help you, I'm sure he will," was Raoul's casual reply, he knew as well as Kel did that she would never kill her best friend. Raoul shook his head as if to clear it. "Anyways, I think we got a bit side-tracked, so, do you care to introduce me to your friend here?"

Kel had to refrain from rolling her eyes; it wouldn't be respectful to do that in front of such a legendary commander, but when he used the word 'friend' in relation to Jak it provoked that reaction in her. "This is Jak Tler. He lives in the village at Kel." She turned to Jak. "Jak, this is Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, Knight Commander of the King's Own."

"P-pleasure to meet you my Lord," Jak stuttered with a clumsy bow. Kel felt like correcting him when he came straight out of the bow. A year of lessons in etiquette had taught her that when bowing to someone as high in authority as Lord Raoul, you didn't rise until they told you to.

"And you," Raoul replied grimly. It was clear to Kel that he didn't like Jak. "Now, could you please leave, I have some business with Kel."

Jak didn't need to be told again. He turned around and fled, too scared of what the 'Giantkiller' might do to him if he found that he had been picking on Kel.

"What a pleasant character," Raoul drawled sarcastically.

Kel didn't say anything, what could she say? Besides, no matter how much she hated Jak, it wasn't her place to slander someone who lived on her own fief.

"Anyways, down to business. Kel, how would you like to join the Own?" he asked almost nervously, running his hand through his tousled dark hair.

Kel stared at him in amazement. Whatever she had been expecting, she hadn't been expecting this. "Em…I…" she stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Look, there's no need to reply now, if you can just let me know before we move on," Raoul said and he turned to leave.

"Sir, when do you leave?" Kel asked. "And where are you camped?"

"We ride on in three days. I'm sorry that doesn't give you that long to decide, but Jon's being Jon again and wants to host a ball. I'm trying to get as far away as possible, and if we get into some sort of a battle, maybe we won't have to go," Raoul replied, being ruthlessly honest.

Kel wished she had a Yamani fan again, this was the perfect occasion for one. Instead, she just brought her hand up to her mouth and pretended to cough, trying to hide the grin that was threatening to spill out over her face. The Commander's intense dislike of all social occasions was famous throughout the realm.

"We're camped at the crossroads," Raoul said, gesturing vaguely through the trees with his left hand.

Kel nodded. "I'll come once I have a decision, my Lord," she promised, her head spinning. She couldn't believe it. Why would the King's Own want her?

Raoul seemed to sense her mood. "Mithros be with you Kel."

Kel gave the standard reply without even thinking. "And with you, my Lord."

* * *

**A/N:** Well? What did you think? 

Hannah


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer:** See the previous chapter.

**Chapter Two**

Kel sat on a log by the River Domin. A year ago she had sat there faced with another hard decision, now she was there again. Her parents had said that it was her decision to make and that they would be proud of her whatever she did. Anders hadn't been anymore help, all he would say was that most of the men in the Own were good guys and fun to be with. Conal couldn't say anything on the matter, he had never ridden with the Own. And Kel couldn't find out what Inness thought, he was away on border duty, taking his squire, Cleon, with him.

"This has to be the hardest decision I've ever had to make," Kel complained out loud. "What on earth am I meant to do?"

She had said that she wouldn't settle for the second best, but it looked like she would have to. She wasn't going to get to become a knight, but the men of the King's Own were just as well respected as knights. It would be just as fun, but it wasn't the same. She wanted to be a knight. She wanted to uphold the code of chivalry and have her personalised shield. She wanted to be able to prove to the realm that women could be knights and that they were just as capable of fighting as men were.

Someone sat down next to her. It was Gavin. They sat in silence for a while, until he asked, "Well? Have you decided?"

Kel sighed. "It's not as easy as it seems Gavin. I've always wanted to be a knight, but now that isn't possible I don't know what I want to do."

"Do you need to decide now?" Gavin asked.

Kel nodded her head. "Another chance like this may not come along, and my parents can't afford to keep me on the little money that they have. If I stay, that will mean less money will go to Mindelan for repairs, and you know that they're badly needed." She gestured out of the forest and towards the roads and the village where all the repairs that needed doing were plainly obvious.

Gavin nodded his head. He was glad he wasn't faced with this decision; he didn't know whether he would be able to make it. "Well, think of it this way. What would you have done if you couldn't have trained in the first place?"

Kel looked at him in puzzlement, but answered anyway. "Gone back to the Yamani Islands with my parents."

"Okay, so, would you prefer to go to the Yamani Islands, or would you rather join the Own?" Gavin asked, studying Kel's face.

Enlightenment dawned on Kel's face. "I'd never thought about it that way," she said and jumped up. "Thanks Gavin."

Gavin was left sitting by the Domin wondering what Kel had decided as she ran off to the Mindelan house to find her parents.

* * *

Three days later, Kel was stood by the edge of the fief, ready to set out to join the Own. They were riding out that day, and Kel had already said her goodbyes to her family and friends. She was ready to go. Attached to Magewhisper's reins were the reins of the horse that she was expected to provide when she joined the Own. It was a fine looking beast, all brown with an almost completely random patch of white on its neck. It had been sired by Conal's horse, Sapphire and Kel had named her new horse Emerald.

Kel herself had the uniform of the Own on: dark loose trousers, and a chain mail shirt. Her tunic was dark blue with a silver trim, and she had a white burnoose that Anders had shown her how to fasten so that it could be worn as a cloak. Around her biceps was a band in the colours of a distaff shield. That meant that it was white with a blue band of colour in the middle. Lord Raoul had told her to design a band to represent a female member of the King's Own guard, because there wasn't one. She was the first female member, she was also the youngest member ever. Standing by her side was Grizzie, the hunting dog that her brother Anders had given her as soon as he heard that she was joining the Own. She was a lean greyhound that had belonged to Anders when he had been fighting for the realm. When he had retired from the pay rolls after an injury the dog had done little else than sit around. Now Kel would have to retrain her to hunt, or she wouldn't be any good to her as anything other than a pet, and she certainly couldn't afford to keep a pet. Saddlebags were attached to Magewhisper, they contained a change of uniform and her weapons kit. She had a dagger shoved into her belt, which was the only thing that she owned now that didn't belong to the Own, apart from Grizzie, Magewhisper and Emerald. Hanging from her belt was a sword, issued to her by Qasim, and she'd called it Thunder. Slung from her back was a long bow and feathered arrows. Attached to her belt next to Thunder, was a small axe, Kel couldn't imagine when she'd want to fight with it, despite the fact that she had been trained with it. But still, Lord Raoul had insisted, and it wasn't her place to argue, especially not with her superior. Attached to Mage's saddle was Kel's glaive. Raoul hadn't minded her using a glaive, but Captain Whiteford had tried to talk him out of allowing her to use it. Flynn had tried every argument in the book, but it didn't work, Kel was allowed to fight with her glaive. She was glad about that, although she was perfectly capable of using a spear or a lance she'd rather not. She was more comfortable with a glaive. Attached to her arm with a plain brown cover on it was a shield that belonged to the King's Own. It was a sliver blade laid over a silver crown on a blue field. Neal had once told her that it was all symbolic. Blue was the colour of the Conté magic. The crown represented just that, and the fact that the blade was lain on the crown showed that the King's Own guard fought only for the crown. The shield was a well-known symbol throughout Tortall, and anyone carrying it was instantly respected. Kel amended her thought, any _man_ carrying it was instantly respected. She'd already had plenty of stick from Jak and some of the village lads when they saw her leaving with all her gear. They didn't believe that she was capable of keeping up with the men of the King's Own. Kel shook her head with amusement, she didn't know if she really was capable of keeping up with the King's Own, they were such good warriors, and she had just a year of page training and the training she got in the Islands.

The sound of thundering hooves reached Kel's ears, and she hurriedly swung herself into her saddle and rode forwards to the road. An amazing sight met her eyes, two columns of young men on horses came rushing towards her, their cloaks streaming out behind. Kel could just spot Raoul at the head of the column, and could make out him signalling to the men riding behind him. They started to slow as Raoul pulled away from the columns, but they didn't stop, they continued on at a more leisurely pace. Many of the men turned their heads with interest at the small figure that Raoul had gone to meet.

"Good to see you Kel," Raoul said quietly when he greeted her.

Kel just nodded, hoping that her nerves weren't evident. To make sure, she fixed her face to a stone calm mask.

"If you join the column at the back, I've got a man waiting at the back for you. He'll explain what's what and talk you through the hand signals, all that sort of things," Raoul explained briefly.

"I'll be fine on my own, my Lord," Kel said, not wanting to find out what the men of the King's Own thought of the girl that was joining them, especially since she was so young.

Raoul seemed to almost pick up her thoughts. "Don't worry. He volunteered for the job himself. You'll like him. He's a good fellow, he's Neal's cousin. And he won't mind if you're a girl, or if you're only eleven."

"You're unnerving sir, you shouldn't do that," Kel said, preparing to join the back of the column as the men flowed by.

"Do what?" Raoul asked his youngest recruit.

"Almost read our minds," Kel replied.

Raoul shook his head at Kel, and said, "I don't know what you are talking about." He rode forwards to join the front of the columns and the speed was picked up again.

Kel waited for most of the men to pass and then she rode out into the middle of the road. As the last man beckoned to her, Kel rode forwards to join him. Her heart was fluttering as they started to pick up the pace, she was off.

The man looked inquisitively at her, and Kel returned his look. It gave her a shock, he looked very like an older version of Neal, apart from his eyes. Where Neal's eyes were emerald, this man's eyes were sapphire, and sparkling with mischief. He had dark hair that went just beyond his ears.

"You're Kel," he stated, nodding to her.

"And you're Sergeant Domitan?" Kel asked unsurely.

"The one and only, but Dom will do," he replied in a manner that reminded Kel so much of Neal. She smiled slightly and realised how much she was missing him.

"You are too much like Neal for comfort." Kel sighed. "And here I was thinking that I'd got rid of him. Instead I get an identical model."

Dom laughed and his eyes lit up.

"I understand I have you to thank for being here," Kel said.

Dom shifted in his saddle uncomfortably and Kel wondered how much of their meeting that Raoul had told him, in particular about the threats she had made about Neal. Kel laughed.

"It's okay, Sergeant," Kel said, noticing the crimson sergeant band on his arm. "Gavin, one of the village boys, managed to convince me that joining the Own was a good idea."

Dom nodded. "That's good for me. Neal told me how good you were with that thing." He gestured to the glaive attached to Mage. He studied Mage for a moment and recognition dawned in his eyes. "Isn't that Magewhisper? As in Neal's horse."

Kel nodded, slightly surprised that he had recognised it. "He gave her to me so I could get home, said to keep her."

"That was nice," Dom said and then a minute later he added, "Very out of character for Meathead."

"Meathead?" Kel spluttered. "Is that what you call Neal?"

"Yes, have you ever met anyone so stubborn?" Dom asked.

Kel thought about it for a moment then replied, "No." She looked ahead, and she could see Raoul signalling with his hands. "What's that signal mean?"

Dom craned his neck so he could see. "Turn right at the next cross roads," he replied as soon as he had caught sight of the signal. Right on cue, the column started to curve to the right.

"So what's turn left?" Kel asked.

Dom made a short movement with his left arm, an almost semi circular one.

"Speed up?" Kel asked.

Dom made another movement.

"Like this?" Kel asked, and made a movement, trying to imitate the one that Dom had made. Then she scratched her head. "No, that's not right. Like this?" She made another movement, not dissimilar from her first one.

"At last!" Dom yelled, punching the air, causing some of the men to turn around in surprise. "We've found something that you aren't good at!"

Kel pretended to look hurt. Then she laughed, "What has Neal been telling you?"

"What? Other than you seem to be good at nearly everything?" Dom asked.

Kel glowered at him. "So I suppose he didn't tell you about Tortallan style archery, or hand to hand combat?"

"I don't think I've ever met another girl who likes having her nose rubbed in her weaknesses," Dom said with a grin.

"The only reason I put up with it is so that I can improve," Kel said, then she switched tongues and said in Yamani, "Criticism leads to improvement, improvement leads to perfection."

Dom looked at her in surprise. "What did you just say? Because, just in case it had slipped your notice, I don't speak Yamani."

Kel laughed. "It's an old Yamani saying. Translated it means, criticism leads to improvement, improvement leads to perfection."

"The Yamanis think they're perfect?" Dom asked in a tone that bordered between surprise and disgust.

Kel shook her head. "No, they'd like to be though."

Dom snorted as if he couldn't understand why someone would want to be perfect.

* * *

Kel kept her eyes on the floor and shuffled forwards to collect her food.

"Thanks," she mumbled to the men serving. She didn't know what she was doing with the King's Own, she didn't really belong. A knight's training was so different from being in the King's Own and although not many people at the palace had accepted her, at least they were all around her age. Well, apart from Neal, but he was an exception. Here, the youngest person was Dom and even he was in his late teens. She strained to remember how old he had told her he was she thought it was nineteen. Kel glanced over to where he was sitting with some other men laughing. That looked about right.

Sighing, Kel wandered over to a rock that was far enough away from everyone else so that they would leave her alone. She picked at her food uninterestedly, and thought about the comments that she had overheard earlier. They weren't nice to say the least.

_She had been dismounting and looking after Mage as they set up camp. Shielded from the men, she could hear everything they were saying without them knowing. They voiced their opinions very freely._

_"It's The Girl!"_

_"Commander only took her because he felt sorry for her."_

_"…favour to Lady Alanna."_

_"Too young…"_

_"She'll have fouled us up in the field before we even get into battle!"_

_Kel just concentrated on brushing Mage's coat, and started to brush harder than necessary. She hadn't expected life with the King's Own to be easy, and she hadn't expected people to like her, but the comments still stung. Putting on her Yamani stone mask she straightened and walked past the men who had been discussing her, making sure that they knew that she had heard every word that they had said. The men, Kel recognised one of them as Gildes of Veldine, stared at her in shock. They obviously hadn't meant for her to know their opinions. As she drew away from them, she could hear them talking in low voices, and although she couldn't hear what they were saying, she could tell they were talking about her. Wherever she went, people suddenly stopped talking, and she could tell that they had been talking about her. The only person she felt comfortable with was Dom or Lord Raoul, but Raoul was busy, and Dom had other friends._

A voice startled her out of her daydreams. "So, are you enjoying yourself so far?"

Kel turned, startled. The speaker was a young man of around fifteen and had light brown hair with a fringe that flopped over his forehead. He had determined hazel eyes not unlike her own, and he wore the uniform of the King's Own. This surprised Kel, Lord Raoul had told her that Dom was the youngest member except herself, so who was this. "Who are you?" she asked warily.

The youth grinned at her suspicion. "Lerant of Eldorne, Standard Bearer for the King's Own."

Kel nodded, that explained it. A standard bearer wasn't exactly a member, they were part of the fifteen man team that rode with the Own. The rest of the team did the cooking and odd jobs. "I take it you already know my name. I think nearly everyone over there does." She jerked her head in the direction of the fire that the men of the Own were eating around.

"You're right." Lerant grinned widely, showing white teeth. "So, are you going to answer my question?"

"What question?" Kel asked startled.

"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" he asked again.

Kel sighed. "As much as can be expected," she replied, keeping emotion out of her voice.

"They saying things?" he asked. "The same thing happened to me when I first arrived. No one wanted anything to do with me because of my aunt." He was referring to Delia of Eldorne, a traitor to the crown, guilty of High Treason. "It gets better, believe me."

Kel snorted with amusement. "Yeah, I know." She took a mouthful of her food. "This wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened it's the third, and although I know it will get better with time, I don't really want to wait."

"What do you mean 'third time'?" Lerant asked interestedly. He shifted slightly so he could see Kel's face.

"When I was four my family moved to the Yamani Islands," Kel replied shortly, trying hard not to wince at the memories from that time. "Because I couldn't stop my emotions getting to my face, no one would talk to me."

Lerant looked in surprise at Kel's face. "I think you're doing a pretty good job now," he said to her blank face.

Kel laughed. "Yeah, I learnt to control my emotions, but I didn't have a many real friends in the six years I lived there. When my mother saved some imperial treasures, parents ordered their kids to talk to me so the Emperor would favour them as well, but wouldn't have become my friends if I wasn't the daughter of some of the Emperor's favourite people. They couldn't care less about me."

"Oh. What was the second time? The palace?" he asked, guessing correctly.

Kel nodded. "Yes. You can guess why no one wanted to be friends with me there."

Lerant nodded. "Conservatives."

Kel swallowed the mouthful of food she had in her mouth then replied, "Exactly. It did get better at the palace though. I made a few real friends, Neal and the like."

"Neal?" Lerant replied, a look of horror on his face. "Neal as in Sergeant Dom's cousin?"

Kel nodded.

"Mithros!" Lerant said looking at her in awe. "I don't know how you managed to survive your first year with a relative of Dom."

"Well, I did. I take it Dom can be - um - difficult?"

"Very," Lerant said with so much fervour that Kel couldn't help but laugh. She finished her food and stood up, stretching her legs as they had started go numb. Lerant stood with her. "Come on. I'll introduce you to some of the other men."

"No thanks," Kel said, looking out to the forest. "I'd rather not. I know what they think of me, I doubt they'd take pleasure in meeting me." She looked around and whistled for Grizzie. "I need to train Grizzie anyway."

"Grizzie?" Lerant asked, puzzled.

"Greyhound." Kel replied. "It was my brothers, but he got an injury in the immortals war so had to retire. He gave her to me." She patted Grizzie on the head as she bounded up out of the forest and put her paws on Kel's knees.

"Okay," Lerant said and he turned to walk away. "If you want to take me up on the offer, just find me."

"Thanks." Kel replied, and she meant it. Lerant had taken her on her own level without trying to test her skills, or trick her into showing herself up.

* * *

**A/N:** There, that was the second part of what was originally chapter one.

Hannah


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing apart from Zakit and Byron.

**A/N:** This was originally Chapter Two.

**Chapter Three******

As the weeks turned into months, Kel grew more and more comfortable with the men of the Own. After they had seen her fight in a few of the battles they had been involved in, respect for her grew. Although Kel thought it was more respect for her glaive than her. She and Lerant were firm friends and Dom often joined them as they hunted or just talked. Kel told stories of her life in the Yamani Islands and her year in the palace, and Lerant told her stories of his aunt and of his life before the Own. Kel had no idea what Dom found to talk about, but more often of not, he would have her in fits of laughter with some comic tale.

Kel was sat on a large rock, watching as the midwinter snow fell around her. It settled on the ground, only briefly though. As it melted it left the ground boggy, a nightmare to ride in, but thankfully they were headed along well structured roads today and would be able to dry off when they reached their final destination of the day — Port Caynn. Kel watched as a snowflake landed on her nose and went cross-eyed, trying to look at it out of both eyes. She grinned and swiped it away. Hearing the squelching of feet in the mud, she looked up and saw Lerant.

"Hey, Kel!" he yelled, striding over to her. "My Lord says we can have some time off when we reach Port Caynn. Do you want come to the market with me? I need to get something for my sister's birthday. She's mad at me for forgetting it again."

"Sure," Kel agreed with a grin. As she went to fetch Mage and Emerald, her horses, she asked, "When will you ever remember anyone's birthday? You forgot Dom's and your brother's." Talking soothingly to Emerald, she tied her to the back of the chain of spare horses. She rode Emerald into battle, and the horse had saved her life on many an occasion. She mounted Mage.

Lerant shrugged as he led Drum over to Lord Raoul. "I've no idea. But what really annoys me is that I was telling myself about six months ago that I mustn't forget her birthday, and then I did."

Kel laughed and she rode up alongside Dom, and tapped him on his burnoose. She knew that it had originally been white, all the burnoose's for the Own were, but his wasn't. He had told her last night that this was the best one he had, so she dreaded to think what the others were like. This one was more a grey colour and it verged on a blackish brown towards the bottom. "What are you doing in Port Caynn?" she asked as she brushed off some of the dirt.

Dom shrugged and smiled his thanks for her impromptu cleaning. "I don't know. Probably just wander around the market, they always have good things there."

"Want to come with me and Lerant?" Kel asked, gesturing to the Standard Bearer who was busy fussing over his battle mount.

Dom nodded. "Yeah, sure. That'd be fun."

"Well, I'll see you there," Kel called back to him as she took her usual riding place next to Lerant, who rode just behind Raoul. "Dom's coming with us," she informed him, she knew he wouldn't mind. He enjoyed Dom's company as much as she did.

"Great," Lerant replied. "Anything you want to get?"

Kel shook her head. "Nah. Nothing really."

"But," Flyn said from behind them. "She'll walk away from with half of the market like a true girl."

"I won't!" Kel exclaimed with mock annoyance. She was used to being the brunt of the entire company's girl jokes. When she had first come, she had to put up with countless remarks about how long it took girls to get ready in the morning. It wasn't until they caught her outside her tent, fully dressed and ready, practising her glaive at dawn every day that they finally relented.

"No, she won't," Dom shouted from further down the column of men and horses. "She'll walk away with _all_ of the market!"

"You'll pay for that Dom!" Kel yelled and the men around them laughed. They were used to Kel and Dom's good-natured bantering, and Kel smiled slightly. She had overheard a few of the men, including Gildes of Veldine, placing bets on her and Dom. Most of them thought that they would get together as soon as Kel was old enough. When Kel had told Lerant of that, he'd grinned and walked over to them. She found out later that he had placed a gold noble on the fact that they wouldn't get together before Kel was twenty-five.

"Okay Kel," Flyn said in a cunning tone. "I bet you ten silver nobles that you can't help but buy something."

"You're on," Kel agreed and turned to shake hands with the older man.

Lerant raised his eyebrows. At first he hadn't taken Kel for a better, but after a few weeks, he realised that if someone laid down the bet for her, and it would prove a point, she would bet a small amount of money. And she had quite often won the bets, but this was one she just couldn't win.

"You do realise that you won't win this one," Lerant warned Kel as the company rode forwards.

"I will, even if it kills me." Kel fell back slightly so that she was behind Lerant and turned to talk with Zakit, the newest recruit. He was a Bazhir and kept himself to himself.

Lerant sighed. It was going to be a trying day.

The men caused quite a scene as they rode into Port Caynn; it wasn't everyday that the whole of the Third Company rode into the city, especially with the famous Giantkiller, Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak leading them. Kel got nearly as many stares as Raoul. It was obvious she was a girl. Although her features weren't particularly feminine, they certainly weren't masculine and most of the realm had heard about the girl in the Own and it was obvious to those watching that the girl was Kel.

They rode to the centre of the town, and tied up their horses at a local inn. From there, the men split up, most heading to the local inn to get something to eat and drink, and some into the market. Kel, Lerant and Dom decided to head straight to the market. They wandered slowly through the market looking at the stalls and enjoying the courtesy that the shopkeepers gave them because they were wearing the uniform of the King's Own guard.

Some people stared oddly at Kel, and muttered things under their breath. But the few people who dared to come and say things to her face were scared away by a growl from Dom.

"I can take care of myself you know, Dom," Kel said, after one such incident.

"Maybe," Dom replied. "But this is fun, and you need to let someone else look after you occasionally."

"Exactly what I was about to say." Casually, Lerant slung an arm around Kel's shoulders.

Kel rolled her eyes upwards at this action, but didn't make any move to stop him. "Come on. I want to look at those weapons, and dream."

They walked over to the stall. It had a banner flying from it, proclaiming that this stall was the best for weapons at low prices with high quality weapons from all around the world. The stall keeper was a young, lean man who looked like he could use all of the weapons he sold.

"Hello my Lords," he said, just glancing at the uniforms, not the faces.

Kel glanced laughingly at Lerant and he sniggered. She slapped him playfully on the cheek and said, "Refrain from laughing if you want to keep your head Lerant."

Lerant smiled at her and tightened his grip around her shoulders. Kel grinned and twisted away from him as she walked closer to the stall to get a closer look at the weapons the stall was offering. There were some interesting weapons from the Copper Isles that she thought she had seen in a book that Neal had once lent her.

The stall keeper looked up in surprise at the sound of a female voice. "Er...I'm sorry my Lady. I hadn't realised that women were in the Own." He blushed slightly and got redder when Lerant grinned at him.

"S'okay," Kel replied, picking up a dagger and examining it. It was obviously imported from the Yamani Islands; made from the finest in Yamani steel recognisable from its slight bluish tinge. The blade was curved slightly to the right, and that was when Kel realised that it wasn't a dagger. She gasped. It was a _Vinayna_, which was a knife that was designed so that you could throw it in a spinning motion, or use it to slit in a sideways motion. They were very rare as only one steel smith made them. "Mithros!" she exclaimed, annoyed with herself.

"What's the matter?" Dom asked absentmindedly as he fiddled with a throwing-star.

"I wish I hadn't made that bet with Flyn now." She held up the _vinayna_ so Dom could see it.

"Get one from Raven Armoury when we get back to Corus," Lerant suggested, looking at the blade with interest.

"Can't" Kel said almost plaintively. "It's a very rare Yamani weapon. Raven Armoury doesn't sell them."

"Is there a problem with the price, my Lady?" the stall keeper asked. "I could reduce the price if you want. No one else seems to recognise it; they all think that it is a deformed knife." The look on his face made it plain that he thought anyone who thought of such a weapon as a deformed knife deserved to be slaughtered. He obviously took his trade seriously.

"No problem with the price," Kel said dejectedly. She turned the blade over and allowed it to catch the sun's light and watched it bounce around the market place.

Lerant grinned. "No, she made a bet with Captain Whiteford. He bet ten silver nobles she couldn't leave this market place without buying anything."

"Ah," the man said, nodding his head understandingly.

"Oh well." Kel sighed. "When we pass through here again I can buy it."

"Shall I put it aside for you, my Lady?" the young man asked reasonably.

"I'd love you to," Kel replied. "But that wouldn't be fair on you. It could be a year or two before this company comes back. So, don't bother. Don't ship it back though, because I will buy it at sometime."

The man nodded, and Kel, Dom and Lerant moved on to the next stall.

Kel didn't know when she realised that Dom was missing, but a while later, she turned to ask him what he thought of a heavy broadsword that she was holding and he was gone.

"Lerant, where's Dom?" Kel asked worriedly.

"Em..." Kel could tell he was hiding something. "I don't er...know."

Kel shrugged, and walked towards a nearby eating house. "I want something to eat."

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind something to eat either," Lerant replied with a sigh. Kel could tell he was glad that she had left the subject of Dom's whereabouts.

As they were finishing their meal, Dom ran in, panting.

"Where were you?" Kel asked as she scrapped the last of her soup up with a chunk of bread.

"Em..."

"Never mind. I probably don't want to know. Am I right?"

Dom nodded. "Em...Kel, you don't mind me asking, but how are you going to pay for that meal? I mean, you bet Flyn you wouldn't buy _anything_!"

Kel looked innocently at him. "I'm not." She passed the bill to Lerant. "He is."

"W-what?" Lerant spluttered.

Kel just looked at him with the angelic expression on her face.

"Fine," Lerant gave in, and went to pay the bill.

"How did you get him to do that?" Dom asked in amazement, watching as money left Lerant's hands.

"I didn't bother asking. I ordered him to. Anyways, I think he knew he had it coming," Kel admitted. She put her hands in her pocket, and found a crumpled piece of paper. "What's this?" she wondered out loud as she straightened out the paper. She read it quickly, and realised it was a letter to Neal that she had meant to send by messenger over a month ago. It was the only letter she had ever written to him, and she hadn't sent it. She shrugged, and put it back in her pocket. It was a bit late to send that letter. She'd need to rewrite it, and send it by messenger later.

"What's that?" Dom asked, biting into an apple.

"Letter to Meathead." Kel said.

"Oh right." Dom had his mouth full of apple.

"Ready to go?" Lerant asked as he returned. "We still need to get to the cross-roads where we're going to camp."

Kel nodded, and started to make her way to the door. The Own never had the luxury of staying in inn's during the busy trading season. There simply weren't enough rooms for over one hundred men. She, Lerant and Dom rode leisurely to the cross-roads where they saw Flyn waiting for them.

"Well?" he asked, fully expecting to receive ten silver nobles.

"Well what?" Kel asked, looking at Flyn innocently. "Oh, silly me, I forgot." She dug into her pocket and took out one silver noble. She waved it a Flyn.

"Well give it to me then. And I need nine more."

Kel shook her head. "No Flyn. You owe _me_ ten of these."

Flyn stared at her in amazement. "You mean you didn't buy anything?"

Kel nodded her head. "Not a single coin left my hands Captain, no matter how much I was tempted."

"You shouldn't have made that bet with her Captain." Lerant glowered at him. "She made me pay for her meal!"

The men surrounding them laughed at Lerant's misfortune.

Flyn sighed, and handed over the ten silver nobles. The expression on his face made it clear that this was the last thing that he had expected.

"Thank-you," Kel said politely as she pocketed the money.

Later that night, Kel was on guard duty. She was sat in the branches of a tree armed with a bow and arrows.

"Kel?" a voice called softly.

"Dom? That you?" Kel called back, keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't wake the sleeping men.

"Yeah. I'm coming up," he replied, and shinned up the tree so that he was sitting next to her.

"Hey," Kel said once he was sitting next to her. "Is there anything you wanted?"

Dom nodded. "I thought I'd give you your midwinter present now instead of dragging myself out of bed early tomorrow morning to give it to you."

Kel grinned. "You needn't have bothered. I'm going to be waking you up early tomorrow to give you your present."

Dom shrugged. "Oh well." He handed over a small parcel. "Saw this in the market. I thought you might like it." His bright blue eyes were darting all over the place, he was clearly nervous.

"So that's where you were!" Kel cried quietly, slotting all the day's events into place in her mind. Carefully she tore the pretty wrapping paper off of the parcel, and gasped. "Oh Dom. Thank-you!" she said, gripping the present. It was the _vinayna_ that she had seen in the market place.

"You like it?" Dom asked happily.

Kel laughed. "I love it. Thank you."

"It's okay."

A flurry of snowflakes started to fall, and soon it had become a blizzard. Kel shivered, and tried to wrap her burnoose around her tighter.

"Cold?" Dom asked.

"Freezing."

Dom placed an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer to him.

Kel sat with her head on his shoulder, grateful for the warmth that his clothes seemed to radiate. "What did you do to these?" she asked, poking his tunic.

Dom yawned. "Got them spelled by Byron."

"Who?" Kel asked.

"A stitch mage," Dom replied. "I saved his life a few years back, and he did this in return."

"Tell the story?" Kel asked as her mouth opened in a huge yawn.

"Sure," Dom replied, and began to tell the story. "You see, my squad and I were doing some scouting near a border town, when…"

* * *

A/N: As I said, that was originally Chapter Two.  
  
Hannah  



	5. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing – apart from the things I do, which at this moment in time, I can't remember. Anyone spot the David Eddings reference?

A/N: Righty-oh! This is the first new chapter, I think! So read carefully!

****

**Chapter Four**

She watched with a slight grin on her face as Lord Raoul accepted a fresh lance from the official and wheeled Drum around to face his opponent. Sir Parasim, his opponent, looked more than slightly dizzy, no doubt that was from the hard blows he had been receiving from Lord Raoul.

"He's too good," a wry voice commented from behind her. "He oughtn't to be allowed to joust against ordinary people."

Kel turned and smiled at Lerant. "True. It just isn't fair." She winced as her commander sent Parasim flying head first into the mud.

"Ouch," Lerant commented mildly. "You'd think that they'd learn when he does that to knights time and time again. I would have thought he would run out of opponents!"

Kel nodded her agreement. "Yes, anyone would have thought that they enjoyed being sent flying in a most undignified fashion."

Lerant smiled and accepted Drum's reins off of Raoul.

"Well done, my Lord," Kel congratulated him with a bow.

Raoul smiled. "It was no hard feat. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get out of this blasted armour, it's horribly hot."

Kel grinned as he walked off towards his tent.

"I'm going to tend to Drum," Lerant announced and guided Drum towards the watering trough.

Kel stood, watching the next two knights charge down the lanes towards each other. It was a hot day in Tirragen, where the Own was camping. A party of knights that was coming back from the Scanran border had stopped off at Tirragen on their way to the capital, and the Lord of Tirragen had taken the chance to host a tournament to celebrate his son's eighteenth birthday. Almost every knight in the tournament had challenged Lord Raoul.

Kel sighed in relief as a cool breeze swept over the field. The heat was getting to her, and she found herself wanting nothing more than to jump into the cool mountain streams that wound their way around Tirragen.

"Slut!" an accusing voice hissed in her ear.

Kel turned to see who spoke and found herself being towered over by a large, dark haired man. There was something about him that unnerved her, but she just raised her eyebrow and turned away in time to see both knights accepting fresh lances.

"No brave words no that Lover Boy isn't around?" the man taunted and Kel recognised him as the man that had been insulting her when she and Lerant had been fetching water. She had needed to hold Lerant back to stop him attacking the man.

Kel ignored him and pretended to be completely engrossed in the knights that were preparing to charge again. They charged, lances shattered and turned to collect new ones. On their third run, neither lance shattered nor did either of them fly from their saddle. She listened with interest as the judges gave the victory to the older knight and listed their reasons why.

"You shouldn't be fighting! It's an insult to your family's honour and to the honour of our realm."

"What would you know about honour?" a voice drawled from above in the stands. "After all, you are the only son of a degenerate line." Dom swung down from the stands, landing on the ground with a soft thud. "Take back your words."

"A new play toy?" the man asked with a glint in his eye. Kel studied in carefully, and from his features – dark hair, very dark brown eyes and the grace of a cat – and Dom's comment, she presumed that this was Keirn of Tirragen, the grandson of the traitor Sir Alexander of Tirragen.

"Oh yes," Kel drawled, walked up to Dom and running a finger up and down his arm. "Can't you just see us together?"

Dom raised an eyebrow in surprise at her and decided not to play along. "You see Tirragen, that's the problem. Because, I can't see Kel and I being together, for one thing she's a good eight years younger than I am and for another, we work together. I don't drag my personal life into my job."

Kel suddenly felt detached. For some reason his comments hurt her more than she would care to admit. She shook her head slightly. He was right, and besides, she felt nothing for him past friendship, she was certain of that, wasn't she?

Dom smiled at Kel as she removed her hand from his arm. "So, are you going to withdraw your comments?" he asked Keirn.

"To withdraw them would be lying. She's a merchant's daughter who likes to believe she can fight." He gasped in pain as Dom's fist smashed solidly into his nose.

"Leave him alone," Kel told Dom. "I can fight my own battles." She was about to stop Dom from punching him again when she felt something land solidly on the back of her head. She stumbled and punched wildly at her attacker. Dimly, she could see a fist hurtling towards her face and felt the burning sensation as her nose was broken. Blood poured out and she tried to call out, but another punch smashed into the back of her head again and she swayed, blacked-out and fell to the floor with a thud.

* * *

"How is she?"

Kel half opened her eyes, gasped at the light that hurt her eyes and closed them again. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and she forced herself to open her eyes so she could see who it was. Lerant stood over her, worry written in his hazel eyes. Behind him hovered Aiden, the healer. She smiled weakly at them. "How long have I been out?" she croaked.

Lerant walked over to the end of her bed and sat down, crossing his legs underneath him.

"Five hours," Aiden replied, placing a cool hand on her temples and allowing his magic to course through Kel, looking for any hidden problems. "You had us worried."

Kel grinned. "Sorry, didn't mean too."

Lerant smiled tightly. "I know you didn't, just don't get yourself into an unnecessary fight again. Please?"

"It wasn't me who started it!" Kel protested.

"I know, it was Dom," Aiden replied dryly. "He's already been in here with some deep gashes. It appears that your opponent decided not to play fair and knifed him."

"Is he okay?" Kel gasped.

Aiden nodded and withdrew his magic. "He's fine. Nothing else wrong with him, however, I want you to stay in over night. I don't think you've got concussion, but it pays to play it safe. Who were you fighting with?"

"Who said we were fighting?" Kel asked, the picture of innocence.

Aiden glared at her. "Don't even think about saying the same thing that Dom said."

"Which was?"

"'We fell down'."

Kel grinned, it seemed that Dom had learnt something from Neal. "But what if we did?"

Aiden sent her a disapproving glare and stalked over to see another patient.

"Will you tell me who you were fighting?" Lerant asked, studying her face intently.

Kel shook her head. "No, you'll only attack them and get yourself in trouble." A loud noise startled her and she looked over to the tent flap in time to see it being flung open.

Eight ladies walked in, eyeing their surroundings disdainfully. Behind them followed four maidservants, bearing a ninth lady on a stretcher. The lady was looking around, her face slightly pale but it registered disgust at being inside a tent.

Aiden rushed over and immediately took charge of the situation. "What happened to her?"

"She fainted," a woman informed him haughtily. "She needs immediate medical attention."

Aiden sighed, turned to Kel and Lerant and rolled his eyes. Turning back to the women, he gestured to a chair. "Why don't you sit her there, she'll be alright in time."

"She needs a bed," a woman insisted.

"I'm sorry, my Lady, but we have no beds. Besides, your friend has only fainted, the men in here have much more serious injuries."

The lady glared at him, and her eyes searched the tent until they settled on Kel and Lerant. "The man over there clearly is not seriously injured. He is dressed and sat up."

"It's the lady who is injured," Lerant remarked. "I've no injury. I'm merely visiting."

"And what is nature of that common peasant's injury that it demands a bed when my _noble_ friend can't have one?" the lady asked in raised tones.

"Lerant," Kel murmured warningly as she saw him clench his fists. "She's a lady, you can't attack her." She leant forwards and grabbed hold of his tunic, preventing him from flying at the lady.

Lerant sighed. "I know, but can't I dream?"

Aiden gave him a glare and turned back to the lady. "That 'common peasant' as you so put it, is a noble lady, I think you'll find she is worthy of you respect. And whilst your friend has only fainted, Lady Kel has concussion."

Kel was amused to see how she went from not having concussion, to suddenly having it in an effort to get rid of the ladies.

One lady turned to the rest and whispered something, but Kel caught her name and a few other words. "She's no lady, she's a fighter slut!"

Growls of indignation came from around the room where men of the King's Own had been following the conversation.

Dom stepped forwards. He wore no shirt, but his torso was covered in bandages. "My Lady, I think you'll find that this was the wrong place to air such a comment. I count nine men of the King's Own in this tent, and it is only myself that is injured, the rest are merely helping out. It would probably be a good idea for you and your friends to leave."

The lady who had made the comment looked from Dom, to Aiden and then to Kel and Lerant. She found no trace of emotion on Kel's face, but found pure anger on the faces of the men. Nodding frostily, she turned and swept from the tent, her friends following her. Even the lady who had fainted made a miraculous recovery and followed them with a haughty air.

There was a cold silence in the tent for a few seconds after they had left.

"Dom, I thought I told you I could look after myself," Kel told him in a strained voice.

Dom shrugged. "You've got concussion."

Kel glared at Aiden, who smiled ruefully at her. "Hey, I wanted rid of them, and they seemed determined to have your bed."

"And?" Kel asked. "Why not let them have it? I've got a tent of my own!"

"Well, actually…" Lerant started.

"Actually what?" Kel asked quietly, turning to face him. She had a sneaking suspicion of what he was going to say.

Lerant looked at the men around them, some of them sleeping. "Why don't we take a walk?" he asked.

Kel looked towards Aiden, who nodded. "Just make sure you're back for tonight," he told them as they walked out of the tent flap.

It was nearing dusk outside, and the men of the Own seemed unusually alert for them. A few were bent over a small wooden table and ten men, instead of the usual five stood guard around the camp.

Kel licked her lips nervously and asked, "What happened?"

"There was an unexpected attack on the camp a few hours ago. Well – not an attack in the battle sense of the word. Someone crept into the camp and…"

"Destroyed my tent?" Kel guessed as Lerant trailed off awkwardly.

Lerant nodded. "They slit the tent canvas beyond repair and started on your things before someone noticed."

Kel cursed. "What things?"

Lerant sighed. "Clothes mostly, but they did get one thing that I know was special to you."

"What was that?" Kel asked, dreading the answer. She turned to watch the setting sun, it was magnificent. Yellow and orange faded into a deep blood red that made it look like the sun wasn't going down without a fight, and that was fitting, after all, the sun god was also the god of war, Mithros. The red blazed into a dark purple and then into the dark colour of the night.

"Your glaive," Lerant replied slowly.

Kel blinked. She hadn't expected that. Swallowing, she asked, "What damage was done to it?"

"Nothing to the blade, but unfortunately it's no long attached to the handle which is in five pieces, the carpenter thinks it's well beyond repair."

Kel sighed and bit her lip, trying not to cry. She shouldn't get sentimental about loosing a weapon, it wasn't a person, and it didn't have a personality. Why should she care?

Lerant watched her as he broke the news. He could see her eyes getting brighter and he knew she was in danger of crying. He looked around and settled on an area to the north of the camp. He led Kel there and they sat down on a rotten log. No one from camp could see them here, but they were safe from further attacks, in that they were sitting in a large open space, no one could creep up on them. Awkwardly, he placed an arm around Kel's shoulders and she laughed weakly.

"I've no idea why I'm so upset," she sniffed and rubbed her tears away with the back of her sleeve. "It's only a weapon."

Lerant smiled. "I thought you told me they didn't sell many in Tortall. That means it's almost priceless. And what about the memories that come with it?"

Kel shrugged. "As soon as I can get time off, I'll go to Mindelan. I've a spare glaive there, but you're right. Of course there are memories with it, it was my first live glaive, a gift from Cricket, a friend." She fell into silence.

Lerant sat with her, his arm still around her and studied her face. She had all of her emotions under control now, her eyes stared forwards blankly and her cheeks were now dry, but he knew that it was only a façade. He placed another arm around her shoulders and turned her so that she leant on his chest.

Kel sighed, glad for the comfort when she needed it.

A few minutes later, a tall figure started to approach them. He stopped as he took in what he was seeing and then sighed in relief. Kel was leaning comfortably against a man's chest, further examination made Dom sure it was Lerant. He was glad, although surprised. Although the two of them were the only permanent members of the Company that were that young, he hadn't really thought Kel the sort of person who would let her personal life run into her work life. He shrugged and was tempted to walk off and leave them alone, but he had his orders from Aiden. He and Kel had to be back in the Healer's tent within the next five minutes, he may be Aiden's superior, but no one disregarded a Healer, that was just stupid.

In some ways he was glad that Kel and Lerant were together, but it was going to complicate matters seriously. As her squad leader, he was going to have to talk to her about it and make sure that she realised that the relationship between herself and Lerant would have to be conducted when they were off duty. He sighed at the thought of _that_ conversation, he didn't know who would be the most embarrassed, him or Kel. At least he no longer had the problem of Kel. For a while he hadn't been sure if she had a crush on him, her attitude around him sometimes led him to suggest that. Also, when he had confronted the younger Tirragen that morning and told him that he couldn't see Kel and himself being together, he had thought he'd seen a flicker of disappointment on her face, but he must have imagined it. It was all too well she hadn't fallen for him, _that_ would have been even more embarrassing than the talk he was going to have to have with Kel later. He did like Kel, just not in the way that Keirn had been implying, she was too young for him.

He cleared his throat and Lerant looked up, clearly startled. He flushed slightly when he saw Dom.

Dom gave the younger man what he hoped was an understanding smile and walked further forwards. "Kel?" he called.

She looked up and he saw that her cheeks were ever so slightly tear stained. "Yes?"

It didn't escape Dom's notice that she didn't fully break contact with the standard bearer. His right arm was still draped around her shoulders and he studied Dom inquisitively. "Aiden wants you back at the Healer's tent now."

Kel nodded and stood. Lerant stood at the same time, his arm sliding off of her shoulders to hang by his side. She smiled to Lerant and joined Dom as he turned to walk briskly towards the Healing tent.

* * *

A/N: If you're going to ask me what the pairings are...I don't know. I'm getting really confused. Mayhaps it'll end up K/D, with a K/L detour on the way, I'm not really sure.  



	6. Chapter Five

A/N: This is another new chapter.

**  
Chapter Five**

Kel hurriedly signed her name on the bottom of the letter and handed it to the messenger who was taking letters back to the palace. "For Page Nealan of Queenscove," she told him and he nodded then bowed his way out of her tent.

With the letter writing out of the way, she relaxed onto her bedroll and closed her eyes, eager to catch a few minutes of sleep. She hadn't slept well the night before; a scouting party had stumbled upon a Spidren nest, completely by accident and the whole of the Own had been roused to save the scouters and kill the Spidrens. They lost one man and killed all the Spidrens bar one, who was still on the loose. The camp was under extra guard until the Spidren had been hunted down, as well as a guard being sent to patrol the nearby village. That meant Kel had guard duty three times a week, an exhausting task.

"Kel?" a voice called and she sighed.

Giving up hope of getting sleep, she sat up. "Aiden? Come in."

The Healer poked his head around the tent flap and then came in and flopped down in a corner. "I came to find out how you were feeling."

"I'm fine," Kel reassured him with slight amusement. Since her fight with Keirn, he had come to see how she was after every battle. Apparently with the slight chance she might have had concussion, he didn't want to risk anything. "I've no headache, I'm not dizzy, really, I'm fine. I promise I'll let you know if anything changes though."

Aiden grinned as she answered his questions before he had the chance to ask them. "Good. Sergeant Dom wants to see you in his tent as soon as possible."

Kel groaned and rolled off of her bedroll. "What does he want this time?"

Aiden shrugged. "I've no idea."

* * *

"Dom?" Kel asked, cautiously poking her head through the flap to Dom's tent. He sat with the man that he shared a tent with, Wolset. They were drinking water and talking quietly.

Wolset looked at her with amusement and rose to leave. "Try to be nice to him," he advised with a clap on her shoulder as he left. "He's nervous. I don't think he's ever had to do this before."

Kel stared after him in puzzlement. "Sir?" she asked, looking towards Dom. Wolset was right, he did look nervous. His deep blue eyes darted over the tent, looking at anything but her. He wrung his hands fretfully and tugged at one ear, a habit of his when he was nervous.

"Sit down," he ordered, gesturing to a chair. He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Is everything alright?" Kel asked slowly.

Dom closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, this time focussing on Kel. "I've absolutely no idea how to start this. I asked Raoul, who simply laughed in my face and said I'd find a way and that he was too busy trying to deal with his end of the problem."

Kel regarded him suspiciously, but said nothing, sensing that if she said anything now, he would never say what he meant to.

Taking a deep breath, he leant forwards, his elbows on both knees and his head in his hands. "You know that the Own doesn't forbid its members to have a private life, it just says that it has to be separate and kept out of work."

Kel nodded, unsure of where he was going.

"And you know that those same rules apply to you?"

Kel nodded again and shifted her chair further away from her Sergeant. What was he on about? She cleared her throat. "Sir, why don't you just get to the point?"

Dom breathed deeply again and gulped the rest of his water again. "What I really mean is, do you realise that those same rules apply to yourself and Lerant?"

"What's Lerant got to do with thi…" she trailed off as realisation struck her. "Mithros!" she exclaimed through her laughter. "You didn't think there was something going on between Lerant and I, did you?"

Dom nodded slowly, wondering why she was trying to hide it from him.

Kel smiled at him. "Dom, my relationship with Lerant is the same relationship I have with you, or Qasim or even my Lord. There isn't anything that isn't strictly platonic going on between us. We're just friends. Close ones maybe, but still just friends."

Dom nodded slowly. "So you mean my Lord is sitting in his tent with Lerant, trying to tell him the same thing I told you, when there's no reason to?"

Kel looked horrified. "He isn't!"

Dom nodded. "He is."

Kel groaned and politely left Dom's tent and ran to her own where she flopped onto her bedroll and covered her eyes, trying to go to sleep. Hopefully when she woke up she would discover this was all a dream, if she was lucky, she might even be back at the palace.

That was where Lerant found her later.

"Kel?" he asked quietly.

Kel groaned. "You mean my Lord let you go?"

Lerant nodded and when Kel sat up, she could see he was still blushing furiously. "What an interesting situation," he said dryly. "Who was talking to you?"

Kel grinned slightly. "Dom. He got himself in such a state. It would have been amusing."

Lerant nodded. "I could imagine. But what was really funny was when I was leaving my Lord's tent and Zakit stopped me. He looked menacing and told me that if I hurt you, I'd regret it."

Kel giggled. "Really? Zakit did?"

Lerant nodded. "I didn't bother to correct him, I just walked away."

Kel looked at him in horror. "Lerant!" she exclaimed. "That was stupid!"

"Why?"

"You should have told him that you weren't courting me! Now he'll tell the rest of the camp your reaction!"

Lerant considered it for a while. "Does it really matter? I mean, my Lord can always tell them the truth."

Kel sighed. "I guess."

Lerant grinned. "Now, shall we go and watch Gildes get thoroughly beaten?" He opened her tent flap and Kel stepped out into the bright sunshine, Lerant followed.

"It'll be amusing," Kel commented as they strolled towards the centre of the camp, where half the company had already gathered. Gildes had challenged Qasim to a sword match, and whilst Gildes was a good swordsman, Qasim was much better. "Why are they fighting anyway?"

Lerant shrugged. "I think it's the result of a bet during a squad leader's meeting. I don't know anything more than that." They joined the crowd, receiving a few strange looks and a few knowing ones.

Kel shook her head with amusement. Gossip travelled fast on camp, and already everyone knew she and Lerant were courting – something that wasn't true. Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned slightly to see Zakit. The eighteen-year-old beckoned to her and she stepped away from the crowds.

"You must tell me if he hurts you in anyway," he whispered and pointed towards Lerant.

Kel smiled slightly. "Zakit, it's nice that you look out for me, but I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. Besides, I think you're basing this conversation on rumour, and the rumour you heard isn't true. We're not courting. Don't you think I'm just a bit young for that?"

Zakit tilted his head to one side and his dark eyes studied her carefully. "Not in my tribe. You would already be betrothed, if not married and expecting a child."

Kel shrugged. "This isn't your tribe," she replied softly. "I'm a noble, I won't marry until I'm at least sixteen, maybe older – well, that's if I was planning on marrying, but we don't need to get into that now." A loud roar came from the crowd, and she turned quickly in time to see Qasim lunging into the kill position and Gildes deflecting his blade.

Zakit nodded and Kel walked to join Lerant.

"What was that about?" Lerant asked.

"Do you need to ask?" Kel replied dryly. "I'm half tempted to jump up at meal time tonight and announce that we're not courting."

"Why don't you?"

"Are you serious?" Kel stared at her friend in amazement.

Lerant nodded and Kel laughed slightly.

"No, I don't think that's something I'm going to do," Kel replied with a shake of her head.

* * *

Kel grinned and shook her head at her friend's stupidity. "Dom, why in the name of Mithros did you do that?"

Dom shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was only seven!"

"That makes it even worse!" Kel replied as she imagined the seven-year-old Dom creeping silently through the palace and extinguishing every single torch that lit the corridors.

"Problem was, I worked from my room outwards, which meant that once I'd extinguished all of the torches, I couldn't get back. I fell down the stairs and broke my nose."

"Serves you right," Kel said without any sympathy.

Dom was about to launch into another tale when Lord Raoul jumped up and clapped loudly. The whole Company turned to watch him.

"Thank-you," he said when he had their attention. "I just thought I'd tell you that our next stop is Corus." Whatever he might have said next was drowned out by the raucous cheering of the men.

"At last," Dom whispered to Kel. "A warm bed, decent food and a hot bath."

Kel smiled slightly. The thought of going back to the palace wasn't one she was sure she liked. After all, Joren and his friends would be there. Maybe I'll be lucky, Kel thought hopefully, maybe a knight will have already picked him to be his squire and they'll have left to go north to Scanra. "And Meathead," she whispered to Dom.

Dom pretended to groan, but it was very theatrical and Kel knew he was looking forward to seeing his cousin again, no matter how much he might say otherwise.

A loud wail broke through the cheers, and the men fell silent immediately. The raw grief in the cry was something that they were familiar with, but hated all the same. Kel turned to where a young woman, who could be no more than seventeen was struggling to get free from her captors in the village only a few hundred metres away.

"Commander?" Qasim asked, and it didn't escape Kel's notice that his blade was half out of its sheath and his hand was firmly on the hilt.

"Let's go and find out what's happening," Raoul ordered. "Qasim, Gildes, Zakit and I will go. The rest of you, wait here." The four of them strode away and half-way there, Raoul suddenly turned around. "Kel!" he yelled. "Get your sword and join us."

Kel looked at him in puzzlement – why would he choose her over someone who could fight better? – but obeyed nonetheless.

As they approached the four men who held the woman, one of them walked to greet them.

"What's happening here?" Raoul asked in an even voice, but Kel knew that if they were mistreating the woman in anyway, they would seriously regret it.

"Her husband was taken by a Spidren, she wishes to go after him," the man replied, bowing first to Raoul and then to the other men in the group. He ignored Kel completely.

Raoul nodded slowly and Qasim allowed his sword to fall gently back into its sheath.

"Perhaps that slattern could console her, if you would be kind enough to allow her?" the man replied, tossing his head towards Kel.

Zakit looked as if he was about to punch the man, and Raoul obviously sensed this because he moved to the side slightly so that he was blocking Zakit's view of the man.

"I see no slattern here," Raoul replied in a level voice. "Do you Qasim?"

Qasim made a great show of looking around, he even picked up a few rocks and looked under them. He placed mock surprise on his face when he saw nothing more than bugs. "No, my Lord. I'm afraid I can't find one. What about you Gildes?"

Gildes sighed with mock disappointment. "No, my Lord. I'm very sorry, but I just can't find one." He shook his head and struggled to keep a grin off of his face.

Kel sighed at their childishness and strode forwards, past her Commander and the man towards the crying woman.

"Lady," she said firmly when she was standing in front of hysterical woman. "If there is a Spidren out here, you shall achieve nothing but attracting it by standing out here and screaming. If you must scream, do so in your own home."

One of the men holding her back raised his head to look at Kel. "She cannot do that, my Lady. Her child is asleep."

Kel sighed. "Well, in that case, she will have to be quiet, won't she?" She gestured and the men carried the screaming woman back to her own home. Kel followed and as they approached the door, a small girl ambled out. She had her thumb in her mouth and a ragged doll in one arm. Her hair was mussed from sleep and chocolate brown eyes held tears.

"Daddy?" she whimpered.

Kel gritted her teeth. She didn't want to have to deal with this, but looking at Raoul and the other three men he had brought with her, they clearly expected her to. "What's your name?" she asked the child.

"Eydi," the child replied with her wide eyes studying Kel.

"Well Eydi, would you like to come with me for a walk?" Kel asked, hoping to get the child away from her hysterical mother.

"Daddy," the girl said firmly.

"I can show you some horses and doggies, maybe even some birdies," Kel offered, thinking of the Third Company's hunting birds and dogs.

Eydi grinned widely. "Can I stroke them?"

When Kel nodded, she bounded up and grabbed Kel's hand. "Okay then."

* * *

A/N: Hm...Not convinced, but it was a sort of necersarry chapter.  



	7. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in this chapter except Mage and Arden

**A/N:** A slightly changed chapter, though not much. I'd like to say thanks to the reviewers who pointed out that Wyldon's comments would be slightly more grudging.

**Chapter Six******

A few weeks later…

Neal sighed, and started to pitch the hay. This was yet more punishment work for being insolent to Lord Wyldon. He couldn't help it, if he thought something, he just had to say it and most of the time that wasn't a good idea. His friends always joked that he must actually like the extra work, or else he had a woman hiding in the stables waiting for him. At one time, it would have been him and Kel doing this, but now it was only him that was stuck pitching.

He was startled out of his daydreams by the loud yell of a palace sentry.

"Third Company of the King's Own!"

Neal threw down his pitchfork in delight. Dom would be coming, and he hadn't seen his cousin in ages. The hay pitching could wait. He leaped down onto the ground floor of the stables, and ran out into the courtyard.

All around him was a sea of blue and silver. Spotting his cousin's horse, Neal ran over to see him. "Dom!"

The figure turned to see him, and lifted off his helmet to reveal a large grin. "Meathead!" He dismounted. "It's great to see you." He patted his cousin on the back and gave him a patronising smile. "Has your father found someone who can keep you under control yet?"

Neal grinned. He hadn't realised how much he had missed his cousin until now. "It's great to see you too." Then he put on a haughty air. "And father never needed to find me a keeper."

"How is Uncle?" Dom asked of the Duke.

Neal swept his hand through his hair and his emerald eyes seemed pained. "He is doing well, but no matter how much he denies it, he's getting old, he can't keep up like he used to."

The look on Dom's face softened. He knew how much Duke Baird meant to Neal. "He'll be fine."

Neal nodded, "I know." Clearly he didn't believe what he was saying.

Suddenly a small, familiar horse caught Neal's eye. He realised with surprise that it was Magewhisper, the horse he had given to Kel. He couldn't believe Kel would sell her!

The figure on Magewhisper turned their head to scan the courtyard, obviously looking for someone. As the rider took off their helmet, Neal saw a familiar face. He gasped.

"Kel!" he yelled, running towards her, ignoring the strange looks he received from the men who were watching him stumble around horses and pack wagons.

She looked at him and grinned happily. In one fluid motion she dismounted from her horse with the ease of someone who spent everyday on a horse. "Neal! I hadn't expected to see you!" She hugged him tightly.

"Hey, Kel, who's this?" a voice called, and Neal turned to see a young man in the uniform of the King's Own. His brown hair was almost the same shade of Kel and it was swept casually away from hazel eyes that regarded Neal curiously.

"This is Neal. Remember me telling you about him?" Kel asked the stranger.

"Yeah. Doesn't Dom call him Meathead?" the man asked and Kel nodded with a small grin on her face.

"Neal, this is Lerant of Eldorne. He's the Standard Bearer for the King's Own."

"Hi," the man identified as Lerant said, and offered a hand to shake.

Neal nodded to him, unwilling to shake the hand of a member of a traitorous family.

Kel looked at Lerant, and saw that hurt showed in his eyes. She couldn't believe Neal would do that.

"I think we should leave, Lerant," Kel said, looking coldly at Neal.

Lerant nodded, and left talking with Kel.

Neal wandered over to Dom and found him talking with Lord Raoul and the Commander of the Riders, Buri. "How come you didn't tell me Kel was in the Own, in the same Company as you?"

Dom shrugged. "I presumed she'd written to you and told you." He said his goodbyes to his Commander and Buri then led his horse towards the stables.

"She didn't though." Neal followed Dom, helping him to unsaddle his horse.

"Oh well. She might not have had time to find a messenger. It's been a pretty hectic year." Dom smiled towards his cousin, and Neal could see the year had taken its toll on him. His skin was slightly grey and he looked like he'd like nothing more than to go to sleep there and then. Dom looked to where Kel and Lerant were talking quietly as they stabled their horses. "What did you say to him?"

"What do you mean?" Neal asked, studying Kel. She had grown a lot during the one and a half years she had been away. Her normally short hair had been cut shorter, rather messily, but it gave her a ragged look that almost suited her. The clothes of the Own were most definitely _not_ made for women and evidence of that could be seen on strained seems – Neal averted his eyes. It was only when she laughed at something Lerant had said that Neal realised how much her eyes had changed. During the year she had spent as a page, they rarely showed emotion, but now they were laughing and happy, then the happiness faded and Neal could see pain shining through, despite all of her efforts to hide it.

"He's normally a very nice guy, but he doesn't look to pleased with you," Dom commented with a nod of his head towards the man Kel stood with.

"He's a traitor," Neal replied flatly.

"Oh for Mithros' sake Neal! It wasn't his fault," Dom replied exasperatedly. "You didn't tell Kel your views did you?"

"What do you mean?" Neal asked, Dom's question made him suspicious.

"Kel and Lerant are very close friends. She doesn't take kindly to people comparing him to his aunt," Dom explained with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh." _Great one Queenscove_, he thought irritably. _Offend her friends straight away!_

"Why don't you go and apologise to him?" Dom suggested and he turned back to his horse, giving the impression it wasn't a question, more of an order.

Neal nodded, and walked off to where Lerant and Kel were leaning on the divider between the two stalls that they were in. He was slightly irritated to note that Lerant was slightly closer to Kel than protocol said was polite, but he bit his tongue.

"Are you certain that they'll leave you alone?" Lerant asked, his voice was full of worry and he wasn't making an effort to disguise that fact.

"Yes." Kel's face went blank as she said it and Neal knew that she was lying.

"I don't believe you," Lerant replied. It wasn't really an accusation, more a statement of the truth.

_Smart guy_ Neal thought.

"I think you know that they'll jeer at you and do worse, but you're not going to tell me, because otherwise I might just stop them," Lerant summarised.

"Right."

"But I don't want you getting hurt unnecessarily." Lerant's voice softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kel's face lost it's mask and she grinned up at him. "It won't be unnecessary. And besides, I thought you had faith in my fighting skills! What's to say I'll get hurt at all?"

Lerant raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you how horribly beaten you get when you fence against anyone but Arden?"

Neal presumed Arden was the worst swordsman in the Third Company because Kel smiled ruefully and said, "Alright, no need to rub it in!"

"Between what you've told me of Joren and his friends and Neal, I can't help but worry about you," Lerant told her, changing the subject.

"Neal wouldn't hurt me." Neal was pleased to note that there was a slight hint of defence in her voice for her old best friend. "He wouldn't hurt you either, I wouldn't let him. I don't know what came over him just before." Neal wasn't so sure he liked the 'I wouldn't let him'. He knew she would have made new friends, but he had hoped that they would come second to him and all her friends at the palace.

Neal cleared his throat, deciding that he had heard enough.

Kel spun around and when she saw him, her eyes hardened. It seemed that she only ever wore her Yamani mask when she was lying now.

"What do you want, Queenscove?" Lerant asked him wearily as he placed a hand on Kel's arm, almost as if he was stopping her from trying to attack him.

"I came to apologise for my behaviour just now. It was out of order, and I'm sorry," Neal apologised, doing his best to sound humble, but Kel wasn't fooled by it. However, she just raised her eyebrows and said nothing.

"It's okay," Lerant said, rather stiffly. It sounded rather fake, but Kel didn't think that Neal would be able to tell that.

Neal turned to Kel with a smile. "So why didn't you write?"

Kel laughed, it seemed she didn't hold grudges for very long. "I started a few letters, some I lost, and some I never got the chance to finish because we got called out. I did finish one letter, but a Spidren killed the messenger so the letter never reached you. Then it was only a few weeks before we would be coming here, so there was no point. Sorry."

"I guess it's okay. Did you get any of my letters?" Neal asked, hoping that she had.

Much to his disappointment, Kel shook her head. "I haven't been home for nearly a year. We haven't had the chance to have that much time off. Only the odd day here and there."

"Yeah, and most of them were spent betting with Flyn." Lerant said, grinning slyly at her.

"What?" Neal yelled. "You've been betting? What a stupid idea! I'm surprised you even now _how_ to bet."

Kel yawned. "He hasn't won - yet." She stretched. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll go to bed."

Neal looked at her, and then the sun. "But it's only just gone noon!" he protested. "I haven't seen you for one and a half years and all you want to do is go to sleep?"

"Don't care," Kel replied. "I'm exhausted." She walked off in the direction of the King's Own barracks leaving a slightly shocked Neal standing in the stables with Lerant.

Lerant watched her go. Then explained, "We just finished clearing up a nasty Spidren problem, but until we did, we had to double our watch for the last month or so, she's had night watch three times a week."

"Oh," Neal replied, not feeling half as put out now and slightly ashamed. "Well - I'll see her in the morning then."

* * *

The next morning, a loud banging on her door woke Kel. She groaned and pulled the covers over her head, hoping that they would give up and go away when she didn't answer. No such luck prevailed though, and the banging became more insistent.

"Go away!" she moaned groggily, and turned over in her bed. Ever since she had joined the Own, she had valued her sleep more and more; she never rose before ten if she could help it. Which meant that this time in the morning was far too early.

"Come on Kel!" a voice pleaded through the door and in her tired state, Kel couldn't be bothered to identify the speaker.

"Go away!" she yelled. "I'm asleep."

"No you're not!" a voice replied, Kel recognised the speaker as Neal, and she groaned. She knew that he wouldn't go away until she got up, he was too stubborn.

"I was trying to be asleep!" she muttered to herself as she rolled out of bed with a thump. "I'll be out in a few minutes. Go and wait outside, you'll wake up the whole of the barrack!" she yelled to Neal. Wearily she washed and put on her uniform. Then she walked through the barracks where all was quiet. She had underestimated the King's Own ability to sleep.

The sun was shining directly in her eyes as she walked outside; she rubbed her eyes and blinked. She yawned and resisted the urge to walk back inside where it was dim and where she could crawl back into bed.

"Kel!" a collection of voices yelled with delight as she looked around.

Kel saw Neal, Cleon and Roald and mustered up the energy to wave - barely.

"Hey Kel, what's the matter?" Neal asked after they were done greeting each other. "You don't seem too good."

Kel shook her head. "What do you expect? You woke me up!"

"We thought you'd be up. You were always up before dawn when you were training," Cleon replied, running a hand through his red hair, looking almost sorry to have woken her up.

"Yeah, but this isn't training. Life on campaign is far more exhausting." She yawned again. "The last time I got a decent night's sleep was the last night I spent at Mindelan. After that, I've either had to ride through the night, been on guard duty, or woken for battle."

"Harsh," Roald commented quietly.

"Yeah," Neal agreed. "So what's brought the Own back to the palace?"

"Squires," Kel replied. "My Lord wants to get one." She watched with amusement as Lerant came stumbling out of the door, cursing. He waved to her, looked at the sun and walked back into the barracks.

"Who?" Cleon asked interestedly.

"Don't know," Kel replied. "I'm going to breakfast." She looked at the sun. "Maybe not. No one else will be there." It was too early for any of the Own to be in the mess hall, even Lerant – who was the earliest riser among the Third Company – had decided it was too early and had gone back to bed. "I think he's the only one with sense here," she muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Cleon asked. "I didn't quite catch it."

"I was talking to myself. I was saying that Lerant has more sense than I do. He went back to bed, exactly where I'm tempted to head."

Cleon gritted his teeth at the mention of another man, but Kel didn't notice.

"Come with us to breakfast," Neal pleaded. "We haven't seen you in ages!"

"I'm not sure," Kel replied hesitantly. "I'm not a page or a squire." She looked down at her King's Own uniform, it was very conspicuous, and certainly nothing like the uniform a page of squire wore.

"It doesn't matter. Come on." Neal tugged on her hand, trying to persuade her to come with them

Kel shrugged. "Might as well."

As she entered the mess hall Lord Wyldon met her.

"Mindelan," he stated quietly as they walked a little way away from her friends.

"My Lord," she replied, bowing and trying to keep her clean burnoose out of the dust on the floor.

He studied her uniform for a while, until he said through gritted teeth, "You've done well, Mindelan."

"Thank you, my Lord," Kel replied. She knew a compliment from Lord Wyldon was hard to get, almost as hard as it was to get one from Lord Raoul.

"Why are you eating here instead of with the Own?" he asked her, his question had a slightly accusatory tone in it, but Kel ignored it.

"My Lord, none of the Own are up now. They won't be up for a few hours yet," Kel explained. _Lucky things, what I wouldn't give to be in bed now_.

"I see." Lord Wyldon clearly disapproved of the hours that the Own kept when they were in the palace. "Well, you may as well go and eat your breakfast now."

"Thank you, my lord." Kel bowed to him and then she followed Neal to one of the long tables that ran down the room.

"Hey Neal," a boy yelled as they sat down. "Who's the lady?"

Kel turned and glared at the page. "Shut your mouth boy," she said rudely. Lerant had recently commented that she wasn't her best in the morning anymore, like the rest of the Own.

"How jolly!" the page replied cheerfully, Kel's sharp words didn't seem to hurt him in any way.

Kel gritted her teeth, and turned her attention to her meal who couldn't be disgustingly cheerful at this accursed hour of the morning.

"Owen, you might want to be quiet," Neal advised the page. "This is one of the old members of our gang." He turned to Kel. "This is one of my friends, Owen's a first year page."

Kel turned around, and nodded to him. "Hi," she said, trying her hardest to be polite. "I'm Kel."

The boy's eyes widened. "Mithros! So you're Kel!"

Kel turned to Neal with a questioning look on her face. "Em…I might have told him something about you," he admitted, looking slightly sheepish.

Kel rolled her eyes at Neal, and turned back to her meal.

"So you're in the King's Own guard?" Owen asked. "What do you do? What Company are you in? What's Lord Raoul like?"

"Why don't you go and find out?" Kel asked slowly, he was really trying her patience. "And let me eat my meal."

"What do you mean 'go and find out?" Owen asked. "I don't think he's in the palace at the moment."

"Well I'm here, aren't I?" Kel snapped. She hadn't wanted to get out of bed in the first place, and now she had a strange boy questioning her. She breathed deeply, knowing she was being unfair. "Sorry, yes, I am in the King's Own, we just do all the usual stuff. I'm in the Third Company, and my Lord is easy to work with." Kel rubbed her eyes, and finished off her porridge. "My Lord is in the palace now, because he commands the Third Company of the Own."

Owen nodded. "That's jolly." He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a snide remark.

"Look, the Yamani Lump is back," a cold voice hissed.

Kel turned around, fixing a calm expression onto her face. "Hello Joren."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer:** I own Aiden, the town of Corran and…there was one more thing, I'm sure of it…um…that random Yamani Quotation!

**A/N:** Old material slightly changed.

**Chapter Seven******

Neal glared at Joren. "Get lost, Stone Mountain," he said coldly.

Joren just ignored him with the air of someone who was aware a servant was in the room, but didn't deem them good enough to talk with. "Still torturing us with your presence, Mindelan?"

Garvey appeared on his left-hand side. "I'm surprised they allowed her in to the mess hall."

Neal looked at Kel carefully, wondering what she would do. She carefully fixed her face to stone, though Neal could see that it took her longer than it normally would. She obviously wasn't using her 'Yamani Lump face', as Joren had called it, as often as she had during page training.

"What are you doing here, Lump?" Joren asked, his tone was level, but no one could mistake the maliciousness behind his words.

Kel looked at him calmly. "The Third Company are on leave, so I'm staying in the palace."

Joren looked at her in disbelief. "You, the Yamani Lump, are masquerading as a member of the King's Own?"

Kel got up and started to walk over to return her tray to the kitchen staff. "No Joren, I _am _a King's Own member."

Garvey sniggered, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Even the Giantkiller has more sense than to hire _you_."

Kel half-grinned, and walked out of the mess hall and towards the practise courts. Fastening her cloak tightly around her shoulders, she clipped her hair back to keep it out of her eyes. She made a mental note to get it trimmed soon, Aiden had cut it for her when she had complained it was getting too long – he hadn't done a particularly good job, but at least it was shorter than it had been.

Kel unsheathed her sword, and started to go through some moves and practice dances that were similar to the ones she used for her glaive. She gritted her teeth at the thought of her glaive, and had to concentrate hard not to loose control of her practise dance. Thunder sliced through the air with little sound, and as Kel changed the sword direction, light bounced off of the blade. It was only when the light came back at her that Kel realised that she had an audience. She turned, and saw King Jonathan IV leaning against the gate, the light bouncing off a sword that was hanging at his hip. His handsome blue eyes followed her every move.

"I'm sorry I interrupted you," he apologised, running a hand through his coal black hair. "I just wanted to see how well one of the Own's most infamous members can fight."

Kel grimaced at the thought of being famous, she didn't really like attracting attention, but then again, that was what the Own did best. They rode across Tortall in their blue and silver uniform and huge mounts; they were noticed wherever they went. "That's all right Sire," Kel told him, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She sheathed her sword and walked over to the fence. "Was there anything you wanted?" Kel couldn't think why the King would want to see a twelve-year-old girl, even if she was a member of the King's Own.

"I was wondering if you would be able to run a message for me?" Jon asked kindly.

Kel winced as she was instantly reminded of her year at the palace and her unfinished crusade against hazing. "Not at all Sire, who to?"

"Raoul. Can you tell him I want him to report to me?" Jon replied.

Kel closed her eyes and shook her head in resignation. Raoul would still be asleep in bed, and would only want to be woken up if the entire Scanran army were invading Corus. He wouldn't take kindly to being woken up, especially not just to report to the King, Raoul thought that anything that didn't involve combat just wasn't worth the time. "Yes Sire, I'll do that."

Jon grinned. "Good, I don't want to have to do that. I was going to get Alanna to do it, but she got called out." It appeared that he knew how Raoul would take going to meet him.

Kel hid her disappointment upon hearing the King's words, her temporary excitement over meeting the Lioness evaporating into thin air. She nodded to the King, excused herself, and walked towards the Own's barracks.

She approached Raoul's room as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake up the men who had rooms on the same corridor as him. Kel knocked gently, and when there was no reply, she opened the door, slipped in and closed the door quietly after her.

"My Lord?" Kel asked quietly, looking towards Raoul's bed where he was sleeping soundly. He didn't respond. The fierce man looked surprisingly gentle when he slept and there was a slight grin on his lips.

"My Lord?" Kel repeated loudly.

Raoul moaned, but didn't wake up. He flung an arm across the bed so that it was hanging out of the bed.

Kel sighed, and walked up to the bed and said loudly, "My Lord, wake up, now!"

Raoul rolled over, still asleep, and his arm flew out, his hand banging Kel in the face. Even when he wasn't deliberately trying to hurt someone, he was still a strong man.

Kel grimaced and stepped back, wondering what would wake him up without waking up the men sleeping in the room next to him. Suddenly, she remembered the time she and Dom had been practising a few months after she had joined the Own. They had been working on some sword moves in the gap between Dom's tent and Raoul's tent, when Kel had suddenly sheathed her sword, a few seconds later, they had heard someone stumbling around in Raoul's tent and he came running out of his tent brandishing a sword. Surprised, Kel had asked him what the matter was, and Raoul replied that the many years he had spent with the Own had led to his waking whenever someone sheathed or unsheathed a sword near him.

Grinning, Kel walked to where Raoul kept his sword – on the floor next to his bed – and moved it so that he wouldn't be able to skewer her with it. Then she gripped Thunder's handle and angled her so that as she pulled, the blade would run against the sheath creating a fairly loud noise. In a quick movement, she yanked Thunder out of her sheath, it made a swift whistling sound and Raoul's dark eyes flew open and he lunged blindly to where he usually kept his sword. Not finding it there, he swore loudly.

"At last!" Kel sighed thankfully. "I thought you would never wake up."

Raoul looked at her in surprise. "Where's my sword? And what are you doing in here?"

Kel was amused to see his priorities, but she picked the sword up off of the sword, and handed it to him, hilt first. "Here. The King sent me to tell you that you have to report to him."

Raoul sighed as he tumbled out of bed. "That sounds just like Jon, always the proper King, never sparing any thought for my feelings. He knows I _hate_ this sort of thing." Raoul hung his sword from the pair of trousers that were laid out for him to wear the next day. "Oh well. Shoo." He made shooing motions with his hands. "I need to get changed."

Kel nodded, saluted to him, then walked out of the door and towards Neal's room.

She knocked on the door, and called his name. "Neal, are you there?"

There was no sound from within his room and then Kel remembered that he would be training. Sighing, she wandered away, and bumped into a tall blue eyed man wearing the same uniform she wore.

"Calling in to see Meathead?" Dom asked, "I was about to do the same."

Kel nodded. "Yeah, I did. But he's training, remember?"

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that."

"Neither had I," Kel admitted.

Dom tilted his head to one side as if considering something. "Do you want to train with me?"

Kel nodded, but at the same time she was wondering what she had let herself in for. Whilst she had improved in leaps and bounds since she joined the Own, it had been Dom and Lerant who had taught her everything she knew. They always beat her and made it look like they did it with ease. "Sure, I'll meet you at the pages' practise courts once I've got my weapons."

Dom nodded, and they parted, Kel heading to her room and Dom to his.

Minutes later, Kel was leaning on the fence watching the pages train while waiting for Dom. They were doing well, and as Kel watched them switch Shang drills, she felt a stab in her chest. They were doing what she could have been doing if it hadn't been for Lord Burchard. She shook that thought out of her head, she was happy with what she was doing now, and she wouldn't let some stuffy conservative ruin it for her. She looked back to the pages and saw they were looking interestedly at her.

The Shang Horse looked towards her and barked at the pages, "Get on with your drills and stop gawking at Lady Kel." He strode over to her.

"It is good to see you Kel," the Yamani said quietly with a slight grin.

"It's good to see you too sir," Kel replied politely.

"I see you've done well for yourself," Haukin gestured at her uniform, the blue and silver that was respected all over the realm.

"I've done fine, but it's not what I set out to achieve." Kel was brutally honest. "Although, I am pleased with what I have done."

"That is good," Haukin commented wisely. Then he quoted the Yamanis. "Always be pleased with what you have done, and feel safe in the knowledge that no one can be a better you than yourself."

Kel smiled. That was a quotation she hadn't heard in ages. "Thank you sir, I think I needed that."

Haukin nodded. "I think your friend wants you." He pointed to where Dom was standing waving at her.

Kel said goodbye to the Horse, and ran over to where Dom was waiting.

"Ready?" he asked as he started to walk towards the Own's practise courts.

"Yeah, I'm ready to be slaughtered," Kel sighed; Dom always beat her in a sword fight.

"But you know you would beat me if you were allowed to use a glaive," Dom reminded her kindly. She didn't know it, but whenever he fought her he was left breathless, and if he had to fight her twice in a row, his win wouldn't be certain. He wouldn't tell her that though, he had some pride.

They reached the practise courts, and started to warm up. As they worked through their exercises, they talked quietly.

"How has Joren reacted to you being back?" Dom asked.

Kel looked towards him in surprise, she hadn't told him anything about her and Joren, as far as she knew the only person in the Own that knew was Lerant. "How did you know about that?" she asked, she didn't like people talking about her behind her back.

"Meathead, remember?" Dom changed to a different exercise, and Kel followed his example, a beat behind.

"Yeah, I'd forgotten. I saw Joren at breakfast this morning." She brushed off the encounter casually, hoping he would change the subject.

"And?" Dom probed.

"Nothing out of the ordinary happened," Kel replied calmly, not surprised that he insisted on knowing what was going on. As well as being her friend, he was also her commander and anything that might effect her performance in the field was his business. "He acted like he usually does."

Dom nodded, and opened his mouth to ask another question, but he was interrupted by a shout.

"Ah, good. You're both here."

Kel and Dom turned around, the surprise showing clearly on their faces.

"Did you want us for something, my Lord?" Kel asked, wondering why Raoul had called to them. He had said that they would be able to have the first few days off.

"I'm thinking of taking Joren of Stone Mountain as my squire, and I need you two to test his skills so I can see what his weapons skills are like before I decide properly," Raoul replied, his words dropping onto Kel like lead.

Kel let out a strangled cry. "Joren?" she asked slowly.

"Yes, Kel. Is there a problem?" Raoul asked.

Kel's eye darted around the practise courts as she tried to come up with an excuse why Raoul couldn't take Joren on as his squire. "Em..." she replied, struggling to come up with an answer.

Dom answered for her. "She and Joren don't get on, my Lord."

Raoul looked at Kel as he considered this new development. "Well I don't see why you can't get on with him, because unlike his father, Joren is a perfectly nice lad. You'll just have to learn to get on with him."

"But what about Lerant?" Kel asked, worried for her friend's job.

"He will still be with us. He is our standard bearer after all, he just won't have to do all the jobs. I'm sure he'll like that."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kel mumbled under her breath. Out loud, she said, "Yes, my Lord." The 'my Lord' was a little more hesitant in coming and Dom noticed it, but Raoul didn't seem to.

Joren entered the dirt rectangle that was the Own's practise courts. "My Lord," he said respectfully bowing to Raoul.

Raoul grinned at him, and gestured towards Dom. "This is Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, he commands a squad in the Third Company."

"My Lord," Joren said again, bowing to Dom this time.

"And I believe you already know Kel, she serves under Dom in the Third Company." Raoul was watching Joren carefully for any sign of the animosity that Dom said existed between the two.

"Yes," Joren said slowly. "I believe we've met before." He nodded icily to her before he realised that Raoul was watching him, then he bowed low to her. "My Lady."

Kel returned the nod with the same degree of coldness and then gritted her teeth and bowed back. "My Lord."

There was a long silence, and Kel turned away, took off her white cloak and handed it to Dom. She smoothed down her tunic and turned to face Raoul. "I'm ready, my Lord."

"Good." Raoul turned to Joren. "You shall fence Kel. I want to see how good your sword work is."

Joren shot her a hateful look, and nodded to Raoul. "Yes, my Lord." He unbuckled his sheath, and took his sword out, then he tossed his sheath carelessly to one side.

Immediately, Kel hated him even more. He couldn't even treat his weapons with respect! She unsheathed Thunder, and stepped forwards to meet him.

"Guard," she whispered calmly, but inside she was shaking. Joren always had been good with a sword, and he now had four years of rigorous training behind him. She only had one year of training, and a year of life on campaign.

Joren lunged forwards, and immediately, Kel could tell that she couldn't hope to beat him. She parried, and lunged back. Joren danced away from her blade carelessly, he knew he was going to win. Kel sighed, but was determined not to give up. She lunged again, and he deflected her sword easily, then in a sudden quick movement shot his sword out. Kel threw herself to the floor, and rolled away. Joren stayed where he was, waiting for Kel to make the next move. She waited, she wasn't going to move, if he wanted to beat her, he would have to make the next move. Joren moved cautiously towards Kel, his sword out in front of him. He lunged at her, and she fended off his blows. In a sudden movement, Joren spun his sword so that the flat of the sword was facing Kel. He brought the sword down against her stomach with such power that it startled Kel, she didn't know that he had that much strength. Gasping, Kel fell to the floor. She cursed herself for letting him hit her.

Raoul strode in between the two of them. "Well fought, both of you," he said, but he was looking at Joren. "But Joren has obviously won."

Dom hurried over, and helped Kel to her feet. "Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

"Of course." Kel was annoyed that he thought she couldn't take care of herself, but pleased that he cared enough to be worried. "I'm fine." He looked dubiously at her, and she smiled reassuringly at him.

"You can go and change now if you want Kel," Raoul said, then he turned to Dom. "I want you to get your bow and arrows. You and Joren can compete in archery."

Dom nodded, and reached for his bow, which lay carefully balanced on a fence post.

Kel gathered together all her weapons and her cloak. "Good luck, Dom," she called to him.

Dom nodded to her to show that he had heard then started to set up a target fifteen paces from the fence.

* * *

Kel was relaxing in a hot bath when she heard a loud banging on her door for the second time that day.

"Who is it?" she asked loudly

"It's me," a voice called. Kel recognised it as Qasim. "We need to go, there's been a bandit raid on the town of Corran."

Kel was suddenly alert, and in seconds was out of her bath. "Okay," she called to Qasim, and hurriedly scrambled into her uniform. She grabbed her saddlebags, and set off down the corridor towards the kitchens. She set her bags down by the door, and grabbed an apple and a couple of chunks of bread. Then she ran out to the courtyard. Being called out in the night was something she had become used to; trouble reared its ugly head once darkness set over the land and there was plenty work for the King's Own. She could have gone through the whole routine in her sleep had she needed to.

Lerant was standing there, with the reins to Mage in his hands.

"Thanks," Kel said gratefully, as she took the reins and started to attach the saddlebags.

"Who's that?" Lerant asked, pointing to an all too familiar white-haired figure.

"My Lord's squire," Kel replied, wondering how Lerant would take the news that Raoul had got a squire. "He's Joren of Stone Mountain."

Lerant growled. "Why does My Lord need a squire? I do all his jobs for him."

"I don't know," Kel replied and Lerant could tell she was as unhappy with the choice as he was.

Suddenly Lerant stiffened. "Isn't Joren the son of Lord Burchard? The one who got you chucked out?"

Kel nodded grimly.

"Inspection time!" a loud voice yelled.

Kel straightened her tunic, and pulled her burnoose so the fastening was in the middle of her neck. She quickly checked the straps on her saddlebags, and the pouch that Grizzie was sitting in. Then she stood to attention next to Mage in the long line of men.

Flyn started to work his way along the line, checking each man's saddle, saddlebags, spare horse and uniform. He found no faults. The men of the Own had been doing this for a long time, they knew how to do it to perfection, even when Flyn was at his most finicky.

As Kel bit into her bread, she saw Joren approach Dom. He said something, and Dom laughed. Kel gritted her teeth, and turned away.

"Something the matter?" Lerant asked.

Kel just pointed to where Joren and Dom were talking.

Lerant looked, and nodded understandingly. "He shouldn't do that," he commented. "He knows you don't like him."

"I know," Kel replied. "But I can't really march over to him and say, 'don't be friendly to him, I hate him', can I?"

"I guess," Lerant said as they mounted up. They took their places in the line, and they started forwards.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but Theo (not the idea, just the character I gave him), the Shang Bear and Jerad.

**A/N: **Old material, changes made, nothing major.

**Chapter Eight******

Kel winced as she surveyed the scene before her. The muddy paths were smeared with blood, and bodies lay scattered everywhere. Beams of wood were sinking into the mud, part of a house that had been pulled down.

Lerant dismounted, and walked up beside her. "Not a pretty picture," he murmured.

Kel shook her head. "No," she sighed. "Each time I think I've seen the worst, then we get called out again, and I see something even worse. How can people do this?"

"Not got the stomach for this Mindelan?" Joren sneered from behind her, but he himself was looking slightly pale, although with his skin tone it was hard to tell.

Kel stared at him, and then turned away. She took the shovel that Qasim gave her, and joined the grave digging team that had gathered away from the village.

A young boy tugged at her burnoose. "Please miss…" he said, his voice wobbling slightly.

Kel turned towards him. He couldn't have been more than ten, and had tousled blonde hair. His eyes had the look of someone who had seen plenty fighting, and skin was weather-beaten and bore signs of a recent battle. He looked vaguely familiar, but Kel couldn't place where she had seen him. "Yes?" she asked patiently.

"Do you need any help?" he asked nervously.

She stared at him in amazement. Most wouldn't want to help bury the dead, it really wasn't a pleasant job, even the men of the Own had to have a rota to say who was going to get the gruesome job. "Em…" She ran a hand through her hair, trying to think of a decent reason to spare the young boy of a sight that he shouldn't see. "You shouldn't…I mean – it's not a nice sight."

"Please?" the young boy asked. "I need to see who are among the dead. My – my…" He breathed deeply, and tears misted up his pale blue eyes. "My teacher is missing."

Kel smiled at the young boy. "Okay then. Come on, we'll get you a shovel."

"Thanks," he said, smiling up at her through his tears.

"Kel, who's the kid?" a voice called over the sounds of digging.

Kel turned around to see Lerant. "A villager, I think. He volunteered for burial duty."

"What?" Lerant asked, just as surprised as Kel was when she first heard the boys offer. "What's your name?" he asked the boy.

"What's yours?" the boy retorted with spirit.

Lerant grinned. "I'm Lerant of Eldorne, Standard bearer for the King's Own, and that's Keladry of Mindelan, member of the King's Own."

"Kel?" the boy asked in shock.

"Um – yeah. Why?" Kel asked, used to people reacting like this at the mention of her name.

"I'm Theo," he said.

"Do you have a second name?" Lerant asked, as Kel stood in a shocked silence.

"Tler," Kel said quietly. "It's Tler, isn't it? You're Jak's brother."

Theo nodded. "Yeah. How is he? I heard you went home to Mindelan."

"I haven't seen him in over a year, and we didn't part on good terms so I really don't know. He was still alive when I last saw him though," Kel explained.

"Lerant, Kel, are you going to do some work or not?" Gildes called over.

Lerant laughed. "We will." He turned to Kel and Theo, "Come on. You two can explain what's going on while we dig."

Kel led the way to where the Own had already dug a sizeable trench, and the three of them started to dig.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Lerant asked as he dug.

"Theo lives on my father's fief," Kel explained. "We – um – don't get on that well." She looked behind her then threw a shovel of dirt over her shoulder.

"Why?" Lerant asked sharply. When Kel didn't get on with people, it was usually for a good reason.

Theo looked a bit shifty. "It doesn't matter now, right Kel?"

Kel leant on her shovel and studied him for a long while then finally said, "you're right. It doesn't matter." She was rewarded with a huge grin. "So what does your teacher look like?" she asked softly as she picked up a rock and threw it away.

"Tall, shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, he's dressed simply, and his gloves have the Shang globe on them with a bear on the top," Theo said shortly.

"You're Shang?" Lerant asked in surprise.

Theo nodded. "The Bear had wanted to stop for the night, so we were setting camp up on the north side of the village when the bandits attacked. We ran to help, and I haven't seen him since."

Kel nodded. "We'll soon hear if there are any Shang among the dead." She stopped digging to retie her burnoose. "Because it is our duty to inform the King of the death of any warriors."

Theo nodded, and started to dig faster as if that would bring the news sooner.

"That's them all!" a loud voice yelled, and the digging team handed their shovels in and wandered off into the village.

"Where could he be?" Theo asked Kel. "He wasn't with the dead and he isn't among the injured."

Lerant ran to catch up with them. "It could be that he is injured, and hasn't been found yet because he's further out of the village, or that he's been captured," he said, before running off to help with the rebuilding.

Kel winced, bandits weren't known to keep their captives in a nice environment.

"Well what do I do?" Theo asked plaintively. "I can hardly travel back to the Shang training grounds on my own. It's too far."

"Em…" Kel said slowly. "I don't really know. Let me ask someone. Come on." She ran into the village centre where Raoul was standing talking with his squire and Dom. They seemed to be examining the trail marks that the bandits had left.

"Commander," Kel said, standing behind him. "Could I have a word?"

Joren looked up, and sneered at her.

Kel ignored his look, and stared at Raoul, waiting for his reply.

"Yes, give me a minute," Raoul said, and turned to Dom. "Finish showing Joren how to track these bandits while I talk with Kel please."

Raoul turned and walked away, Kel followed, gesturing for Theo to follow her.

"Is there anything bothering you Kel?" Raoul asked, after scrutinising her carefully for a minute or two.

Kel swallowed. Joren being here was bothering her, but Raoul had told her to get on with him. "Em…not really sir, no." She ran a hand through her hair. "But I need some help."

"What with?" Raoul asked kindly.

"Theo." Kel gestured for Theo to stand in front of her. "His teacher's missing. He was helping to defend the village and isn't among the dead or the injured."

Raoul sighed. "Trust you to pick up someone. Why can't you pick up something easy, like a bird?"

Kel just stared at him.

"Okay, okay," Raoul said. "Take five men and search for the teacher. If you can't find him in the near by area, go after the bandits, but for Mithros' sake, make sure you have more than five men when you go after them. Come back here and pick up another ten, I don't want you hunting bandits with only five men."

"Yes sir," Kel turned to Theo. "Go and saddle your horse and meet me back here." Her eyes scanned the groups of men waiting to start the building work, and found Lerant. "Lerant!" She yelled. "Come over here."

Lerant sauntered over, his hands in his pockets. "Want something?" he asked, returning the glare that Joren gave him.

"Yeah, want to help me search for Theo's teacher?" Kel asked. "I need five men."

Lerant nodded. "I'll get Dom, I'm sure Qasim will help, maybe Gildes will come."

Kel shook her head. "They need someone to command things back here besides the Commander, Gildes would be doing that."

"Leave it to Flyn," Lerant said. "You, me, Theo, Dom, Gildes, Qasim and…and Osbern can search for the missing teacher."

Kel nodded slowly. "Yeah."

The search went on all day with no luck. By nightfall Kel had returned to the village and picked up ten extra men and now they were all hard on the trail of the bandits.

Kel turned to Lerant who was riding beside her. "Are you okay? You've been acting strange all day."

Lerant shrugged. "I feel fine, it's just that…well – Joren does everything that I used to do. My only job is to carry the flag. I used to do all my Lord's jobs before he came, I don't see why he needs a squire!"

Kel grinned ruefully. "Neither do I. It isn't really fair how you have nothing to do, but I can't see anything you can do about it."

"I can." Lerant's hand flew to where his sword was buckled to his belt.

"He won't accept a challenge. You're not a knight or a squire," Kel said simply.

Lerant considered this for a while, and the company rode on in a relative silence.

"Sir, do you have any idea how far the bandits could have travelled?" Kel asked Osbern. As the highest-ranking soldier among them, he was in charge of the hunt, but when making decisions he asked Kel's opinion.

Osbern shook his head. "I can only guess. They've probably made it as far as fief Naxen by now. Once they're there, there is no hope in finding them, there is so much woodland that they could hide for months without being discovered."

Theo sighed, and turned away. Kel guessed he was probably crying.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll find your teacher eventually," Kel said soothingly.

Theo wiped the tears off of his cheeks. "Maybe, maybe not. But if we don't find him, what happens to me then?"

Kel shrugged.

Lerant rode up beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll look after you somehow. Kel doesn't have the heart just to leave someone to fend for themselves."

Kel glared at him. "And what about you? I seem to remember that you picked up a stray cat only a few months ago."

Lerant shrugged. "It was a kitten, I let it go once it was old enough to fend for itself."

Kel sighed. "Anyway Theo, we'll make sure you'll be fine. But don't talk so gloomily, we're going to find the Shang Bear."

Theo tried to grin. "Thanks."

"Where are we headed to now?" Dom asked from the end of the column where he was doing the job of rearguard.

Osbern looked over his shoulder at Dom. "I don't know. Ask Kel, she's the one who organised this little bandit hunt."

Dom turned questioningly to Kel.

"We'll go to Naxen. I want to find these bandits, and I want them found within the next few days," Kel replied slowly.

Dom nodded. "If Gareth the Younger is at his fief now, I'm sure he'll supply us with men to scour the forests."

"I hope so," Kel said. She looked to the horizon where the sun was beginning to rise over Naxen Lake. They had been riding all night. "We should be at the Naxen house by the time the sun is fully up."

The men seemed heartened by the prospect of the food that they would surely get at fief Naxen, and kicked their horses into a fast trot. Even Theo seemed to brighten.

"Halt! Who goes there?" the loud voice of a guard asked.

Kel dismounted and walked forward towards the gate, her hands up by her head. "I am Officer Keladry of Mindelan, Third Company of the King's Own. I have fifteen men with men and one Shang."

The gate creaked open and two armed men stepped forwards. They saluted Kel sharply, and then the rest of the men.

Osbern stepped forwards and glanced up at the flags flying from the gate showing Gareth the Younger and his wife were at home. "I need to speak to Gareth the Younger."

One of the guards nodded, and then looked at the sun. "Someone will show you to the eating room and serve you some food, but I fear my Lord is not yet up."

"That doesn't matter, as long as we can talk with him before noon," Osbern assured the gate men.

As Kel rode after Osbern through the gate and her men followed her she saw a third flag flying next to Gareth's and his wife's. It was a golden lioness rampant on a red field and it looked strangely familiar, she had the feeling that she should know who it belonged to, but she didn't.

Kel sat opposite Dom and next to Lerant in the eating hall picking at her food.

"What's the matter Kel?" Dom asked quietly, his voice pitched so that none of the other men could hear.

Kel shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I just seem to have a lot of things on my hands at the moment. What with Joren and now Theo, I haven't been able to get a moments peace."

Dom regarded her strangely. "You know that Joren didn't actually want you kicked out?"

Kel snorted. "Yeah, I'll believe that when the Black God starts healing people!"

Dom shrugged. "He said it was no fun now that you were gone, he had no one to fight with."

"Exactly!" Kel hissed. "All he wants me for is as a dummy to practise fighting skills on."

"Just talk with him and try to come to some sort of an understanding. It's going to be a very uncomfortable four years if you two don't learn to get on, not to mention that if you two create a rift right down the middle of this company it'll make battle situations very difficult and much more dangerous."

Kel sighed. "I know that, but he won't allow me to make peace with him, besides, I don't know whether I want too. That's the end of that discussion."

Dom rolled his eyes skyward. "Fine, just think about it."

Standing up, Osbern got the attention of the men. "As soon as my Lord of Naxen allows us men to search with, I want you all out in the forest searching. Use the usual search and tracking methods, and for goodness sake, if you find those bandits, don't take them on on your own."

The men mumbled their agreement.

"You're going bandit hunting?" a voice inquired from the doorway. "Can I come?"

Kel spun around, her sword unsheathed before she had the figure in view. The men surrounding her mirrored her actions, only a beat behind.

She saw a short, stocky woman leaning against the doorframe. Copper locks reached her shoulders, and she studied Kel with interest.

Dom sighed. "You shouldn't do that Alanna. It isn't funny to shock people. We could have run you through."

Alanna grinned. "I don't think so." She turned to Osbern. "I wasn't aware that the page camp was being held here, in the middle of the training year," she said mildly.

"It isn't. Why would you think that?" Osbern asked.

Alanna walked into the room and started to pick up food for her breakfast. "Then why have you kidnapped Page Keladry?"

"Em..." Osbern said. Somehow the Lioness hadn't found out about Kel having to leave page training. He wasn't looking forwards to telling her that. "You see..." He turned to his men for help, but they were of no use. They started to edge away and slowly left the room.

Alanna seemed unfazed by this reaction. "Do you have an answer?"

Kel looked around the room to find that only Osbern, Dom, Lerant and herself were left in the room.

"I left," Kel said quietly, helping Osbern out of the difficult situation he was in.

Alanna looked towards her. "You just left, just like that? With no reason?"

Kel swallowed. "Not quite, my Lady."

"Lord Wyldon had been paid to force Kel to leave," Lerant said sharply.

Alanna's eyes blazed in anger as she set her food down on the table. She glowed with a violet aurora.

"Is that true?" she asked, her voice dangerous.

Kel looked up and met Alanna's violet eyes. "Yes."

Luckily, before Alanna could loose her temper, Gary walked into the eating room, accompanied by his wife.

"I heard that there were fifteen men of the King's Own that wanted to speak to me, but I only see four," he commented mildly then turned to Alanna. "It's nice to see you. When did you arrive here?"

"Late last night, straight from Maren," Alanna replied. "I want a word with you once you are finished here." Then she walked angrily from the room, leaving her breakfast half-prepared on the table.

Osbern stared after her, unsure of what to do.

Gary laughed. "Leave her, she's been like this since the King forbade her from seeing Page Keladry."

"He what?" Kel asked her voice calm and her Yamani training taking over.

Gary turned around in shock. "You didn't know?"

"No. But thank you for telling me. That explains some things," Kel said sharply. "But we are here for a different reason."

Osbern nodded, and took over. "There are bandits hiding on your land, they have captured the Shang Bear. We need your permission to search the land."

"Certainly, you have it."

"And, we were wondering if it would be possible for us to borrow some of your armed men to help us?" Osbern asked. Asking was really a courtesy, if he so wanted, he could just commandeer the men.

"Of course. Take all the men that aren't on guard duty," Gary agreed. "I'll get them to meet you in the courtyard in half an hour with their horses."

Osbern nodded. "Thank-you, my Lord."

He bowed, and Kel, Dom and Lerant quickly followed suite, then they left the room.

Kel was sitting on the wall next to the stables talking quietly with Dom when Alanna approached them.

"Hello, my Lady," they said in unison.

"It's Alanna," the Lioness said sharply.

"Em...okay," Kel said, unsure of the idea of calling such a great fighter by their first name.

"Can I just make sure that I have got this right?" Alanna asked.

Kel nodded. "What right?"

"This. You trained for a year at the palace."

Kel nodded. "Yes."

"Then Cavall," she said the word with such obvious contempt, "Threw you out because somebody paid him to. Who?"

"Em..." Kel said, unsure of if she should tell the truth. "Joren's father, Lord Burchard of Stone Mountain."

"Ah," Alanna said quietly. "The best page of the last four years."

Kel nodded. "He's a squire now, the Commander's squire."

"The Coman...?" It took Alanna a while to realise what Kel meant. "You mean he's riding with your company?"

Kel nodded. "Yes."

Their conversation was interrupted when a throng of men poured noisily into the courtyard with their horses. They were followed shortly by the rest of the men that had come with Kel from the Third Company.

Alanna shook her head in annoyance at the interruption and mounted her horse.

Osbern stood on the wall next to Kel. "We want these bandits found," he yelled. "If you find them, find help, don't tackle them on your own. You search in pairs for your own safety. You must be back here by nightfall, I don't want anyone out there, not with bandits on the loose." He jumped down from the wall. "Pair up, one Naxen guard to one of our men."

Kel found herself with a young man that looked no older than fifteen.

"I'm Kel," she said, offering her hand for him to shake.

He looked at it with disdain. "I'm Jerad," he said, his teeth gritted. "What am I doing with a girl?" he yelled at Osbern.

Osbern shrugged. "That _girl_ as you put it is one of our best officers."

Kel rolled her eyes; that couldn't be true. She looked around for Theo, and found him talking animatedly to Alanna. Grinning, she rode over.

When Theo saw her, he turned eagerly towards her. "She knows so much!" he exclaimed. "She knows lots of Shang moves! She said she'll teach me some more!"

Kel smiled, glad to see him being shaken out of the melancholy that had haunted him since she had first met him. "That's great Theo."

"Let's go!" Osbern yelled, and Kel sighed.

She joined Jerad again, and was rewarded with a glare.

"Keep your views to yourself," Kel said sharply. "Or you'll mess up the hunt."

Jerad didn't say anything as they rode forwards in the dark forest.

With men stationed around the forest, there was no way that the bandits could get out unnoticed. The searchers now just had to find them.

"You know, I think the King's Own had some sort of honour before you joined them," Jerad commented as they rode through the wood.

Kel shrugged. "They still have honour, just not in the eyes of the conservative idiots."

"Oh?" Jerad asked questioningly.

Kel shook her head and changed the subject. "How in the name of Mithros did you manage to secure a post as a guard to the Naxen fief with views like yours?"

Jerad looked at her strangely. "What do you mean by that?"

Kel smiled almost condescendingly. "Gareth the Younger is one of the biggest progressives in this realm, one of his closest friends is the Lioness. You can't tell me you didn't know that?"

Jerad grinned shakily. "Oh that, of course I knew that!"

Kel regarded him suspiciously. If her time in the Yamani Islands had taught her nothing else, it helped her to guess when someone was lying. She started to notice things about him that didn't seem right, like the way that he seemed to be avoiding her eyes. Reaching for her sword, Kel pulled Mage to a stop.

"How long have you had your post here?" she asked slowly.

"Em...about four years," Jerad replied.

For Kel, that confirmed her suspicions. "And you've been letting the bandits in and out of Naxen all that time? No wonder the Own could never find them once they got here, you always warned them!"

Jerad looked like one of the palace cats that had got cornered by a hunting dog.

"What did they promise you?" Kel continued, her eyes never leaving his face. "Land? Riches? Don't you have enough sense to know that bandits only have enough to barely survive on, they won't give you anything!"

Jerad grinned. "That's where you're wrong!" He pulled a dagger out of his pocket. "They gave me this. Made of the best steel from the Yamani Islands."

Kel took one look at it and snorted. "Do you even know where the Yamani Islands are?"

"Of course I do!" Jerad exclaimed indignantly.

"Do you not know anything about the Yamani Islands?" Kel asked, starting to laugh.

Jerad glared at her. "Yes, they make the best steel known. I bet you don't know even the smallest thing about them!"

"I know an awful lot more things about them then you, I lived there for six years. My parents are some of the most honoured people in the Islands." Kel snatched the dagger out of Jerad's hand, leaving a small cut. "And I know another thing. This is _not_ Yamani steel, this is the sort of thing you can buy from a market for two copper pieces." Carelessly, Kel started to bend it and it snapped. "If it were decent steel, it wouldn't have bent," she said calmly. "You've been duped big time Jerad."

Jerad stared in silence at the pieces of the dagger that Kel held in her callused hand. "Why those little..." he hissed angrily.

"If you lead us to them, I could probably arrange for the Crown to have mercy on you." She dropped the dagger pieces on the floor. "You do know that you'll be hung for assisting the bandits."

Jerad nodded silently.

"Show us where they are, and I'll get my Commander to ask for mercy for you," Kel said softly.

"What would your commander be able to do for me? Why would the King listen to him?" Jerad asked grimly. "They'll hang me all the same."

Kel grinned wryly. "You forget who commands the Third Company. My Commander is one of the King's best friends. The Giantkiller?" she asked. "You know the name?"

Jerad nodded silently, hope filling his eyes. "Come on. I'll show you the way, you'll need to be quiet though."

"Wait, I need to alert the others," Kel explained. She touched a speaking globe that was attached to her shirt. It allowed her to talk to the other members of the hunt without shouting. "We're on their trail. The guard I'm with knows where they are," she said, her voice low.

"Where are you?" Osbern's disembodied voice came back.

Kel looked around for any landmarks that would help identify their position.

"They're camped by Naxen Lake," Jerad said quietly. "That's north of here."

Kel nodded. "Osbern, we're south of Naxen Lake, that's where they're camped."

"What shore are they camped on?" Osbern snapped. In the background, Kel could hear him talking with the guard that accompanied him.

"West shore," Jerad said, he spoke loud enough for his voice to be picked up by the globe.

"Thanks," Osbern said. "Kel, take your partner and head for the south shore, I'll have Alanna, Theo, Dom and his guard join you there. When you hear the signal, raid the camp. We'll have other men coming in from all sides."

"Yes sir." Kel ended the conversation, and started towards the shore, followed by Jerad.

* * *

Dom eyed Jerad suspiciously. "Are you okay Kel?"

Kel grinned at his over protectiveness. "Of course I'm fine. He agreed to lead us to the bandits for the Crown's mercy."

"He doesn't deserve it," Dom said coldly.

Kel shivered, remembering the scene at Coran. "You're probably right, but at least this way we get the bandits."

"This had better not be a trap," Alanna said, her voice dangerous.

Jerad shook his head and backed away from Alanna. He looked terrified of the legend. "No my Lady. I wouldn't dream of it."

Alanna snorted. "Yes you would. I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you, and that isn't very far," she turned to face Kel and Dom. "I don't know about you two, but I don't want him with us when we raid the camp."

Dom shook his head. "It wouldn't be a good idea."

Alanna grinned as streams of violet magic ran out of her fingers and wrapped themselves around Jerad, tying him to a tree. "You'll find it painful if you try to get away. Very painful in fact, so much so that I wouldn't advise you to try it."

"Attack," came the whispery voice out Kel's speaking globe. The command was repeated in Dom's and then Alanna's globe.

Kel swung into Magewhisper's saddle and re-arranged her grip on her glaive.

"Ready?" Dom asked softly from her left.

Kel nodded. "Yes. Alanna?"

"Let's go," the copper haired knight said, and kicked her magnificent horse into a gallop. She didn't think to look back at Jerad. Magic sparkled around him as he made a speaking spell.

Kel, Theo, Dom and his guard followed her, none of them looking back either, all of them ready for battle.

But that battle never came.

"I can't believe it!" Alanna yelled, jumping off of her horse. "That swine must have warned them!" She kicked a near-by tree.

Kel looked around her. The bandits had left there camp quickly, maybe only ten minutes before they got here. "We should have taken Jerad with us. He couldn't have warned them then." She cursed herself for not realising he would have tried to warn them, even if the crown hadn't hung him, he would have spent the rest of his days in prison.

Osbern thundered through the trees with the rest of the men following him. His eyes took in the scene around him. "There are tracks. We can follow them. Let's go."

Kel grinned, and turned Mage in the direction that the tracks went. Theo followed her, tears streaming down his face.

"Don't you worry," Kel said to him gently. "We'll find your teacher."


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Theo (the character not idea) and the Shang Bear.

**A/N: **From here on, it's new material. It's taken us long enough to get here, but just for anyone who got confused, the Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two and Chapter Three were second drafts of the original story. Chapter Four and Chapter Five were new chapters. Chapter Six, Chapter Seven and Chapter Eight were second drafts of original material and Chapter Nine is new material.

Chapter Nine

From the cliff-top above, Kel could see a small hunched figure seated by the fire. She sighed, wanting to go down there and comfort him, but knowing that he probably just wanted to be alone. Shaking her head, she went back to surveying the near by area, looking for any possible attack that could be coming. Her bow lay across her knees, and she was sitting as far back from the cliff edge as possible. A fear of heights wasn't a good thing to have when you had watch duty, especially not in the mountainous areas. But she knew it was a fear that she would have to work through, not something that she should avoid.

From a near-by forest, Kel could hear birds squawking, and then as one they took up in a frantic rush for the air. Suddenly alert, Kel could hear the thundering of hooves, and she headed at a fast run for the path that led back down to the camp. As she reached the camp, she saw Theo standing by one of the trees, his sword in hand, ready to attack the enemy.

Shaking her head at his stupidity, Kel ran over to him.

"Have you woken the others?" she demanded in a harsh whisper.

Theo shook his head.

"Do it," Kel ordered, and then "and if we do have to fight, be careful, I don't want to be delivering your body to your teacher!"

Theo nodded obediently, but Kel could see that he wanted to be the first one to confront the riders coming, it appeared that the possible death of his teacher had made him reckless in a way that the Shang shouldn't be.

From the area where the tents were Kel could hear Alanna cursing as she gathered her weapons, and the moans as Theo woke the slightly sounder sleepers.

"Hide!" Alanna ordered as she emerged from her tent.

Kel looked in surprise at the short heroine, she'd never taken her for the sort that would hide away from a battle.

"We'll ambush them, it might even out the numbers," Qasim explained as he saw Kel's shocked look.

With a whisper to Mage and Emerald to stay put, Kel slipped silently into the trees. She sheathed her sword momentarily and gave her axe an experimental swing. Satisfied that nothing dreadful was going to happen to it in the upcoming battle if she needed it, Kel flattened herself against the trees, unsheathed her sword and waited. Across the clearing she could see Alanna crouched down, her violet eyes shining in the moonlight. Dom stood right behind her, his sword unsheathed and ready to use. Theo had made no attempt to hide, and was just standing right in front of a tree, staring right at the entrance that the riders would enter by.

Kel sprinted across the clearing. "Get back Theo!" she hissed, and as Theo complied, almost melting into the trees she felt cold steel against her throat.

"Don't move!" a voice growled close to her ear.

"And don't you think about moving either," Alanna's voice sounded from behind her. "Let her go."

"Lioness?" the voice in her ear inquired. Kel cursed lightly as she recognised the voice, it was Joren. The knife fell away. "Mindelan?"

Kel wondered why he was being so polite, at least she did until she turned around to see Raoul dismounting from Drum with an amused expression on his face.

"Commander?" Kel asked in surprise.

"We came along to tell you we've been ordered back to the palace," Raoul said quietly, and as he said it, Kel could see Theo's face fall. Maybe Raoul saw it too, because he added, "you can stay out here and continue the search, but you need to be careful."

Qasim strode forwards. "Of course, my Lord. We'll meet up with you and the rest of the company at the palace." He turned away, and Kel was certain she heard, "have fun at the balls, my Lord."

Raoul must have heard as well because he grimaced, clapped Alanna on the shoulder and remounted. "Let's ride," he shouted in a voice that left no room for argument and wheeled Drum around and rode out of the clearing with Joren following behind him and gradually the rest of the company.

"Well, that was terrifying!" Lerant admitted candidly. "I thought he would slit your throat." The look he gave Kel was full of concern for his friend. "Are you okay?"

Kel nodded. "Just a bit surprised, that's all."

"I'll take the next watch, you can get some sleep." Lerant pointed to Kel's tent.

Gratefully Kel slid into her tent and fell asleep without even taking her sword off.

* * *

_Wind whipped around the girl's body. Her short brown hair danced and fluttered in the same way that her dirty white cloak and baggy trousers did. The effect was eerie, making her look like a wind mage, not the young warrior she was. Behind her stood fifteen men and one woman with horses, their cloaks flapping on the strong wind. No one uttered a word. Then a painful cry cut through the air, it was filled with such grief and agony that the men wanted to turn away. They felt like they were intruding on something private._

_The girl turned to face the young boy who had let out the yell. She dismounted and held out her arms. The boy stumbled towards her, tears winding their way down his dirty tanned cheeks. The girl picked up the young child as if he weighed nothing and walked away from the tree that they had stood under. The girl sat on a rock and let the boy cry. Around her the men and the woman started to make camp and preparations for the grim task ahead. The woman looked up at the tree and sighed, then turned back to her work._

_Swinging to and fro from one of the boughs was a gruesome reminder to the warriors what sort of life they had chosen. The body was clothed, but the clothing was so ripped and torn that it may well have not been. His face was beyond recognition. They could identify him from the gloves that were still on his hands, plain khaki coloured ones bearing the Shang Globe and Bear._

Kel woke up with a start.

"All a dream," she muttered. "It was all a dream."

"No, it wasn't," a sad voice remarked from the corner of her tent.

Kel spun around and breathed a sigh of relief when she realised that the speaker wasn't going to try and kill her. "Lerant, you scared the life out of me." She titled her head on one side as she sat up on her bed roll. "What are you doing in here?"

"I could hear you screaming," he replied. "I thought someone was murdering you!"

Kel smiled tightly. "No, no such luck Eldorne."

Lerant grinned and ruffled her hair. "Shush, it's not you we're trying to kill, it's Dom!" he joked in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Okay!" Kel whispered with a small grin on her face. Then she saddened. "So it wasn't a dream?"

Lerant shook his head and stretched out and pulled the tent flap open slightly.

Sitting by the light of the dying fire, Kel could see a small hunched figure. It was Theo. He moved his head slightly and Kel could see tears glistening on his cheeks and that his eyes were overly bright. In his hands he was playing with a pair of gloves, his teacher's gloves.

"No," Kel murmured. "It wasn't a dream."

Lerant shook his head again.

Kel felt the tears in her eyes and bit them back fiercely. She wasn't going to cry. She was a lake, smooth, calm and serene. She had no deep emotions.

Lerant walked towards her and wrapped both of his arms around her. She buried her head in his tunic for a few moments.

"I'm getting soft," Kel commented as she drew away.

Lerant shrugged. "If you weren't upset at everything that happened today, I'd be horrified."

Kel tried to smile, but in the end just sighed. "I just…" She bit back the tears as they threatened to spill out again and sat down with a thump. Lerant lowered himself to the floor and sat next to her. "I just can't believe someone could do something like that. I seriously hope all the bandits feel the wrath of the Crown — soon."

Lerant looked slightly shocked at how vehement her words were, but he smiled all the same. "Don't worry. Commander Larse is as good as his word. If he says he'll catch them, he will." A Rider group under the command of Evin Larse had ridden past and stopped for a while. When they heard – and saw – what the bandits had done, they had volunteered to finish the job. Kel and the rest of the group were going to return to Corus, after they had stopped off at Mindelan to deliver Theo back to his mother for a while until a Shang could pick him up from there.

"I know, but…" She sighed. "Is it terrible of me to want to see them suffer because of the pain they caused Theo?"

Lerant shook his head. "Of course not, they had no right to do that, to hang him where they knew we would find him."

Kel heard low talking as the sentries exchanged reports and swapped with the next man to take a watch. "It makes me want to hunt down all the bandits in this country and kill them."

Lerant chuckled. "You're in the wrong job Kel, I'm sure Lord Raoul wouldn't mind if you resigned from here to join bandit patrols."

His small joke made her smile and he ruffled her hair. "Can you sleep now?" he asked. "We've got a long ride tomorrow."

Kel nodded and he backed out of her tent, leaving her to sleep.

* * *

"Kel!" Ilane cried, hurrying forwards. "What a nice surprise! We hadn't expected you!"

Kel shrugged and turned her back on her mother. She wasn't deliberately being rude, but she thought that looking after Theo was more important than greeting her mother. "Theo?" Kel called softly to the young boy who was sitting on his horse, looking slightly out of it. "We're home."

Theo looked around him and turned to face Kel. "This isn't home," he replied quietly. "Home's the Shang Base."

Kel sighed and smiled at him. "You know that someone will be coming to collect you as soon as possible. You'll only be here for a few months."

Theo nodded and jumped off of his horse.

"Theo?" a young voice called and Kel turned to see Jak running through the crowd.

Theo's eyes flicked towards his brother and swallowed. "Jak," he replied quietly, looking up at Kel all the while. "When do you leave?" he asked almost plaintively.

"Tomorrow," Kel replied. "My Lord won't be too pleased if he finds out we were out here at Mindelan when we could be at the palace joining in the balls and dances."

Lerant laughed lightly as he walked up behind her. "You're right there." He turned towards Jak. "Tler?" he asked. When Jak nodded, Lerant continued, "Where's your mother? We need to speak to her now."

"Here!" a voice called from the back of the crowd that had gathered to look at the King's Own men.

"Do you want to speak to her?" Lerant asked, "Or shall I?"

Kel sighed. This was where she wished that Alanna hadn't left them at Trebond. She would have been good at things like this. "Would you?" she asked quietly.

Lerant couldn't miss the pleading in her eyes and he nodded, although he didn't want to be the one tell Theo's mother that he wasn't going to be himself for a while.

"Thanks," Kel replied and she turned back to her mother. Her father now stood behind Ilane, a stern look on his face. Whilst he doted on his daughters, he didn't tolerate rudeness from them. "I'm sorry about that Mama, but that had to be dealt with." She looked over to where Lerant had drawn Theo's mother to a side and was talking quietly with her. Mrs Tler was getting paler and kept shooting worried glances at her son. Ilane and Piers obviously realised something was wrong, because they didn't pursue the matter further.

"I must admit I am surprised to see you here Kel," Piers told his daughter. "We had thought you would write before you visited."

"I'm not here to visit," Kel replied. "I dropping Theo off. We'll camp on the edge of the fief and move out at first light tomorrow. We've a few days hard riding to get to Corus."

Ilane looked slightly upset that her daughter wasn't staying, but she smiled. "No, you can all stay in the house tonight. We've plenty of spare rooms, certainly enough for your men stay in."

"They're hardly my men!" Kel protested.

Lerant smiled as he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course not Kel, they just obey orders from you, that's all."

Kel growled at him and spun around. He danced nimbly out of the way and Kel glared. "Next time we practise, you'll pay for that."

The men laughed as Lerant pretended to quiver, the only thing that could make him really quiver was the thought of facing Kel with her glaive, which she hadn't had since hers had been destroyed.

"Mama, Papa, that was Lerant of Eldorne, Standard Bearer for the Third Company," Kel said levelly to her parents.

Osbern walked forwards. "Thank-you for extending your hospitality and allowing us rooms. I can tell you, it is much appreciated."

Piers shook the hand that Osbern offered. "I'm Baron Piers of Mindelan, Keladry's father."

"I'm Sergeant Osbern of the Third Company. Your daughter and I just led a bandit hunt."

Kel watched as her mother carefully hid her pride under a mask of Yamani calmness.

"I see," her father said. "And were you successful?"

With a sigh Osbern shook his head. "We found the body of the man we were looking for and then we had to hand the hunt over to a Rider group. I've no doubts about their success though, they nearly always catch the bandits they hunt."

Kel lost interest as Osbern and her parents talked and watched with amusement as her sisters flirted outrageously with Dom.

"What a flirt!" Lerant muttered in her ear and then grinned wickedly at Kel. She knew he wanted to tease the Sergeant, like they had done on many occasions. She was more than happy to comply.

"So Adalia, when's the wedding?" Kel asked as she and Lerant strolled over. The men around them grinned, having seen them do this before when it was Lerant's sister that Dom had been flirting with.

Adalia looked at her with surprise. "Wedding?" she asked puzzled.

"Oh no!" Lerant cried with an overly sympathetic look at Dom. "Don't tell me she rejected you!"

Dom growled at the pair of troublemakers. "Lerant, I'm warning you!"

Lerant blinked, then grinned sweetly. "I'm so sorry you don't want it rubbed in your face Dom, but isn't that what friends are for?"

Seeing he was making no headway with Lerant, Dom turned to Kel. "Kel, I order you to stop."

Kel growled at him and made a rude gesture that shocked her sisters. If Dom gave her an order, she had to obey, she was under his command after all.

"Insubordinate!" Dom taunted.

"You are a bad man," Kel told her commanding officer. "I thought doing that was abuse of power!"

"Doing what?" Dom asked innocently.

Kel glared at him, angry he had spoiled her fun then burst out laughing. "Honestly Dom, if you didn't flirt so much with every woman you met, Lerant and I wouldn't be as likely to tease you!"

"I wouldn't count on that," Lerant muttered so that only she could hear.

"You're not teasing him again, are you?" Osbern inquired as he walked up with her parents.

"Of course not," Lerant replied. "Would Kel and I ever dare to tease Dom?"

Kel grinned widely as her mother raised her eyebrows. Ilane knew that her daughter could be a tease when she tried, she had been teasing her nephews for a long time.

* * *

Kel grinned as she let her mind relax and her body take over as she brought her glaive through the pattern dance called Crescent Moon and then smoothly went into Sand Storm then the Hawk Flies Free. With a small chuckle she brought the blade to a stop inches away from Lerant who stood in the doorway to her room, watching her with amazement.

He flinched as he narrowly avoided having his nose sliced off by the deadly blade. "Do you have to do that?" he inquired as he walked into her room uninvited. As he saw her grin, he sighed. "I suppose you do."

Kel lay her glaive down on her bed. "Was there anything you wanted?" she asked.

Lerant shrugged. "Just to say hi." He examined one of the Yamani waving cats that sat on her bookshelf. "So do you like having a glaive again?" he asked.

Kel nodded. "Of course. It's always been my strongest weapon, it didn't feel right not having it for so long."

"Kel! Lerant!" Dom yelled from down the corridor. "The servants say it's dinner time!"

"Food!" Lerant cried. "Proper food!" He walked briskly through the door and once he was out into the corridor, Kel could hear him running. Muttering something about men and an obsession with food, she followed him.

* * *

"Do you have to go?" Theo asked Kel. She sat atop Mage and he stood on the ground, his mother not far off.

"You know the answer to that!" Kel replied softly. "Of course I have to go. It's my duty."

Theo sighed and bit his lip.

In the pre-dawn light, the fifteen men from the Own that had joined the hunt were tightening straps and finishing breakfast. Osbern strode up and down, checking the men were prepared, and as usual found no faults.

Adalia was talking earnestly with Dom as Piers watched from a distance. Oranie looked slightly annoyed that her sister had snared the man that she wanted, and Kel dismounted and ran over to her.

"Don't worry about," she told her sister mischievously. "Dom isn't as nice a man as he seems. He trains you hard! But if it's looks you're after, he has a cousin at the palace."

Oranie laughed at that and hugged her sister hard.

"Tease Adalia for me," Kel told her. "It would only be fair seeing as Dom is going to get an awful lot of teasing from Lerant and I, even if he is my commanding officer!"

From the grins on their faces, it seemed that the other men there would be teasing Dom just as much, if not more and he didn't have an authority over most of them. He was in for an unmerciful journey home.


	11. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the poor froggy!

**A/N:** May be the last chapter for a while, but I promise, I'll try not to disappear for such a long time again! I'll try, honest!

Chapter Ten

Kel watched as Lerant bristled with anger as they rode into the Own's stables and Joren was cleaning Drum's tack.

"My job," he hissed to Kel.

"Technically it's his!" she hissed back at him as they dismounted and washed down their horses. "Don't even think about challenging him or picking a fight with him. No matter how good you are, he's better."

"How touching of you to say so, Lump," Joren told her.

Dom cleared his throat. "I thought I asked you to try and get along with her?" he said with a glare to both Kel and Lerant. "And Lerant, Kel's right. Don't even think of picking a fight with Joren. If you do that, I'll make Kel's life very difficult."

Lerant swore softly. Dom would know that threatening that would make Lerant obey.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Kel told him cheerfully. "When Dom's not there, I'll help you pick a fight with him. After all, if he's going to make my life difficult, I might as well do something for it."

Lerant grinned, but he knew that he wouldn't be picking a fight with Joren, although he could see a few not-so-friendly sword matches coming up.

* * *

"How on earth did you survive a whole year with him?" Lerant exclaimed as they watched the blond squire walk off. He had just been particularly obnoxious to Lerant and Kel was seething and was having a very hard time trying not to run after Joren and punch him firmly in the stomach.

Kel shook her head. "I've really no idea."

"I feel like doing something really evil to him!" Lerant told her as they walked to the page's mess where they were going to meet Neal.

"You know Lord Raoul banned almost everything I can think of!" Kel sighed as she thought of the meeting she and Lerant had been summoned to yesterday with Raoul. He had gone through nearly everything he could think of that they might possibly do to Joren and forbidden it. And that was that. They couldn't do any of those things without defying his orders, something neither of them were particularly keen to do.

"He didn't ban some things that I can think of!" Lerant cried victoriously as they wandered into the page's mess. Over the past few months they had become a common sight there, eating there three times a week and Lord Wyldon had learnt to tolerate them, although he could be very short with them at times. The pages had already started to eat, they didn't wait for Kel and Lerant.

"Over here!" a voice yelled and Kel and Lerant slid into seats opposite Neal. "You're late today."

Kel nodded. "I know, we had a run in with my Lord's squire."

"Ah," Neal replied. "Do you want me to do something to him? Something very painful?" He looked very eager and Kel could help but laugh.

"Sorry, but my Lord already forbade anything like that. Ever since Lerant sent him crying to the healers, we've been forbidden to harm him in any way, shape or form and as my Lord told us, that includes encouraging our friends to harm him," Kel said almost mournfully.

"Spoilsport," a voice muttered as someone plonked a tray of food down on the table.

"Cleon!" Kel cried in surprise. "When did you get back? I thought you and Inness were still in Mindelan." Cleon had arrived at Mindelan only few days after Kel had left and hadn't been seen since, that was over four months.

"Just got back," he told her as he liberally covered his bread in honey. "So my Lord of Raoul banned you and Lerant from taking Stone Mountain into a side alleyway and killing him then?"

Lerant nodded. "I made the mistake of hitting his nose so hard it broke. My Lord forbade us to do anything that might possibly hurt Stone Mountain and then told us to get along with him and gave us a lecture about how we were dividing the company in two."

"He got a point tho —" Cleon started.

"I know he has a point!" Kel told him. "I can see the logic behind it, but Joren makes himself impossible to get along with."

Neal grinned. "He always had. You could resort to something childish, like a frog in his bed!" His eyes danced as thought through the possibilities.

Lerant cackled. "I love that idea!"

Kel sighed, and rubbed her temples. "You are both so immature!" she sighed as she realised Lerant was going to spend the rest of the day looking for frogs.

"You wouldn't love us otherwise," Neal stated with a grin on his face.

"Yes I would!" Kel told them. "Much more than I do now!"

Neal shrugged. "Tough, being immature is fun."

Kel glared at him and returned to her stew. She could see it right now, her and Lerant crawling around the palace gardens looking for a frog.

* * *

"Aww, come on Kel! You know you'll find it funny once it's over!" Lerant told her as he withdrew his head from the bushes.

Kel stood behind him, arms folded over her chest and tapped her foot. "I'll enjoy it even better if I don't actually have to look for the frog. I don't see why both of us should get muddy crawling around in the grass when just one of us could!"

"But that takes the fun out of it!" Lerant told her as he parted the wet leaves of another plant and searched through the ground behind it, looking for a frog.

Kel glared at him, but it lost its effect when he didn't look around to see the seething look directed his way. Lerant yelped loudly and she grinned as he withdrew his head from the bush with long cuts down his face. "Forgot to check for briars, did we?"

Lerant glared back at her and she grinned and shrugged it off. But she wasn't grinning when Lerant yanked on her leg and she slipped down onto the wet grass. "Why you little —" she gasped as she pushed Lerant firmly into the bush he had just come out of. She was most satisfied to hear him cry out as he fell into the briars. "That should teach you to try things like that," she told him firmly.

Lerant crawled out of the bushes, looking rather worse for wear. Added to the few cuts he had from his first encounter with the briars, he had one stuck in his cheek, plenty in his cloak and a large on sticking out of the palm of his hand. It really did look like he had been running through a forest with a blindfold on. Blood dripped down his cheek and he regarded it strangely and then dived straight back into the bush he had come out of.

"Knew I'd seen one!" he cried triumphantly as he turned to face Kel again. In his left hand, he held a frog. It squirmed and the blood on Lerant's hand made its escape easier. It hopped off over the grass. "Get it!" Lerant yelled, looking at Kel and pointing at the frog.

She sighed and then set off after it. "Honestly," she yelled back to him. "The things I do for you!"

* * *

As Raoul contemplated what he had seen earlier – the youngest member of the Third Company and the Standard Bearer chasing frogs around the palace gardens – he started to fill out requisition forms for the supplies that the Own needed to stock up on before they were called out.

"If that book didn't suit you, try the history of the Copper Isles," Raoul called as he heard the door open and his squire walked into the room.

"Who's it by?" Joren asked as he gazed through the rows of books.

"Um…Terat, I think."

Joren nodded and slid the book off of the shelf. He was about to leave the room, when his Knightmaster asked, "What would you use a frog for?"

Joren gave the Commander a bemused look. "Nothing, my Lord, at least, nothing I can think of."

Raoul sighed and dismissed his squire with a flick of his hand and for the third time that day tried to fathom exactly why the Third Company managed to get through more uniforms than any other company.

* * *

Joren scowled at the maid who brought him his bath water, three minutes late this time. Admittedly it was a two-minute improvement on last time, but it still wasn't on time.

The maid bowed and hurriedly left the room.

As he bathed in the small dressing room that was attached to his room, he thought he heard voices in his room. However, he made the mistake of presuming that Raoul had just left the door open that connected their rooms and was talking with friends in the study that was between Joren's room and Raoul's.

Once he had bathed, he pulled back the covers on the bed and stared in amazement as a frog leapt away, leaving a trail of slime on his bed.

"So that's what you use a frog for," Raoul commented from the doorway. "I thought I'd heard Kel in here a few moments ago."

Joren regarded his Knightmaster with interest then shrugged. He pulled the sheets off of his bed and moved gracefully to the cupboards where spare blankets were kept. Pulling one out, he laid it on his bed.

Raoul studied his squire for a moment or two then left, closing the door carefully behind him.

_The Lump?_ Joren thought with surprise. _I had thought she was past immature things like that. She'll find a surprise waiting for her soon.  
_

* * *

Wearily, Kel hung her sword up on the hook that had been banged into the wall and unclipped her burnoose, allowing it to fall to the floor where she stood. She had just been horribly beaten by Dom, beaten Lerant – for the first time – and been slaughtered by Qasim in sword matches. The only satisfaction she'd had – apart from beating Lerant for the first time – was that she had thoroughly beaten all three when Qasim had made the mistake of suggesting that she faced them with a pole arm. Because they had become so used to seeing her with a sword after the glaive was smashed, they had almost forgotten she had a glaive, but she had reminded them, and they weren't likely to forget anytime soon.

Too tired to do much else, she flung herself onto her bed, and bit back a yelp. Her bed stank, a stagnate sort of smell, almost like a pond. She felt the sheets and groaned. "It is a pond!" She ripped back the covers and saw green algae on her sheets. Someone had emptied pond water onto her bed, she was surprised there weren't a few water lilies in there as well.

Although the men of the Own liked to play practical jokes on the Riders, they rarely played them among themselves, and if they did it was on a man who was high up in command, not a lowly officer. It wasn't them. Lerant may have an odd sense of humour, but he'd been with her nearly all day and wouldn't have had the chance to carry bucketfuls of pond water from the pond to her room at the far end of the barracks. Neal had been training all day, and anyway, he knew better than to do anything that could result in the two of them facing each other with pole arms, a match Kel was sure to win. The only person she could think of was Joren.

"I would have thought he was past childish things like this," Kel muttered as she pulled the sheets off of her bed in an effort to determine whether her mattress was damp. _But then again, I thought I was past putting frogs in peoples' beds._ Raoul had made a comment the day after she and Lerant had sneaked into Joren's rooms and deposited the frog – whom Lerant had named Commander in honour of Raoul, a dubious honour if you asked Kel, but that was Lerant for you – in Joren's bed. Raoul had asked about Lerant's briar induced injuries and Kel had told him that he had dropped some money in the bush and had tried to look for it. When he heard that, he raised an eyebrow and replied 'I wonder if he saw any frogs whilst he was looking for that money.' It wasn't a particularly subtle hint, but Kel considered it a good sign. It obviously meant he thought playing tricks was a harmless pastime, but right now, Kel had decided that tricks were far from harmless when they were being played on her.

* * *

Kel stood at the door to Joren's rooms and glared at Lerant. "I still say this is a pretty stupid idea!"

Lerant shrugged and pushed his brown hair out of his eyes and bent down to concentrate on the task in hand.

"I mean, why should we continue this line of pranks?" she asked him. "Why don't we just stop? Don't you think this has been going on long enough?"

From the look she got from Lerant, nearly three months of pranks every week wasn't long enough. This was the stupidest one he had thought up yet, and probably the most dangerous.

Kel sighed. She should have known that Lerant wouldn't give up until Joren did, and he wouldn't give up until Lerant did, it was one of those male conceptions of pride. Kel was fairly certain that Joren knew it was Lerant playing the tricks, but he still continued to target only her. "I'm going to kill Neal," she muttered, more to herself than to Lerant, but he looked up anyway.

"Why Neal?" he asked as he reached for the grease.

"Because it was him who suggested the frog," Kel replied simply. She watched as Lerant greased the hilt of Joren's sword, then his axe and mace. When Joren tried to pick them up, they would simply slide out of his hands, and the harder he gripped them, the faster they would slide.

"Oh, I would have thought of something like that soon enough." Lerant stood and carefully placed Joren's weapons exactly where he got them.

"The sword was on a slightly different angle from the mace," Kel told him. "And I don't care if you would have thought of it sooner or later, I'll still kill Neal. Don't even think of interfering."

Lerant smiled almost condescendingly at her and they walked through the door, shutting it quietly behind them. When they saw Joren on the stairway, they both smiled sweetly at him, and in return he made a universally rude gesture.

"Such a rude boy!" Lerant exclaimed and briefly he sounded so like Kel's mother that she couldn't help but laugh.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

When she entered her room a few months later, Kel found a distraught Lerant pacing up and down in her room. She said nothing, but instead slipped off her burnoose and tunic, leaving a white shirt and slipped off her boots in favour of soft Yamani slippers. She cleaned her sword in silence, presuming that Lerant would get to whatever was bothering him in his own time. When she had finished with her sword, she hung it on it's hook and looked at him.

"I'm going to find some food. Do you want me to bring you something back?" When he nodded, she walked of the door, just to be met by Dom.

"Do you know what's wrong with Lerant?" he asked as he fell into step with her.

Kel shrugged. "No idea. He's trying to wear a hole in my floor at the moment; I reckon it'll probably only take him another few weeks of walking back and forth like that until he reaches solid stone."

Dom nodded. "He didn't seem too good when we last saw him. When you had left to see to Magewhisper, a group of us started to play cards. My lord came to interrupt, took Lerant aside, and gave him a letter and then left. Lerant turned rather pale and hasn't been seen since." He raised his hand in greeting to a court lady and with a smile to Kel; he walked to join her, leaving Kel just as she walked through the back door to the kitchens.

Kel collected a few bread rolls from the kitchen and went in search of fruit.

"You again!" sighed the head cook when he saw her.

"It isn't all for me!" Kel protested as she snatched up some apples. "Some is for Lerant as well."

"The two of you are going to eat your way through the palace supplies!" the cook exclaimed. "I do wish you would get called out."

"But it's so much more fun here, especially when someone else cooks your meals for you!" Kel told him as she ran out of the kitchen, trying to avoid getting thumped by the wooden spoon he was holding at the time. "Lerant?" she called softly as she entered her room and found him lying face down on her bed, his face buried in her covers. "I've got food."

As he rolled over, she was surprised to see the tear stains on his face. "Thanks," he replied with a weak smile.

She sat down next to him, and through a mouthful of apple, she asked, "What's the matter?"

Lerant didn't say anything; he just pulled a folded piece of paper out of his breast pocket and handed it to her.

Kel took it from him gently, almost afraid to open it. What could it contain to upset him so much? She turned the letter over and saw the broken seal of Eldorne, stamped in green wax. Easing the letter out, she studied Lerant. He was unusually pale underneath his tanned and weatherworn skin and his eyes were red and his hands shook slightly. Impulsively she reached over and hugged him. He smiled weakly at her, and pushed her away, pointing towards the letter. Kel did as he asked, and read it. When she finished, she slid the parchment back into its envelope and looked at Lerant, unsure what to say. Finally, she whispered, "I'm so sorry." She knew he cared greatly for his sister, and that she was one of the only people outside of the King's Own that took him for what he was, not what his name said he was. To have death snatch her away with no warning…Kel hated to think what it would do to Lerant. And then, on top of that to suddenly have the burden of running the fief fall to him…She reached out to hug him again, and this time he didn't push her away, but leaned his head on her shoulder.

"I…" he started, but trailed off.

He was still laying there, his head on her shoulder when there was a knock on the door some time later. Then the door opened a crack and Raoul poked his head around. "Thought you might be here," he said quietly and then handed Lerant his travel bags. "I packed your things, it's all in there. Your escort is waiting to leave." He rested a hand on Lerant's shoulder. "Good luck," he told the young man, and then he strode from the room, but not before Kel spotted that his eyes were unusually bright.

"You're not coming back," Kel stated calmly.

Lerant looked at her helplessly and shrugged. "I've no option to come back. With my sister's death, it leaves only my younger brother to run the fief, and although I've no doubt he could do it, he doesn't know what is required and with winter coming I can't leave the fief unattended." He smiled wryly. "It's one of the hazards of being the eldest son. When father died, I ran the fief temporarily, then my sister took over, but now…" He trailed off and peered out the window. Seven men were standing in the courtyard, wearing the green and white colours of Eldorne; a black band adorned their arms, a sign of respect for the dead mistress of the fief.

Kel sighed and picked up his saddlebags. "Come on, then," she told him and walked out of the room, leaving Lerant to run after her.

The Eldorne men stared at the thirteen-year old that accompanied their master with undisguised disgust. The girl – who wore the uniform of a member of the King's Own – studied them carefully, looking between them and their master as she saddled his horse and attached the saddlebags to his saddle.

"Be careful, Lerant," Kel told her friend.

He smiled at her. "Would I do otherwise?" he asked, bending down from his saddle to ruffle her hair. "I think you're the one who ought to be careful. I dread to think what sort of trouble you'll get yourself into with me to stop you."

Kel chuckled.

"Just be careful around Joren," Lerant said as one of the Eldorne men rode up and told him they had to be moving.

* * *

"Kel?" a surprised voice asked from behind her as she and Neal exchanged blows with blunted axes. "Where's Lerant?" 

"Left," Kel replied shortly as she ducked and twisted away. She brought her axe up against Neal's and slid it quickly down the handle, rapping his knuckles with the wooden handle of her own axe. Grimacing, Neal stepped back, holding up his hands in the universal sign of surrender. Green light sparked as he touched his hand to his knuckles and rid himself of the pain. Kel turned to face Dom, who was regarding her with a curious expression on his face.

"Are you two playing tricks on me again?" Dom asked.

Kel shook her head as she examined her axe for dents. "He left yesterday afternoon, he went home to Eldorne, there was a…family crisis," she told her commanding officer, not really sure how much to tell him.

"And when is he returning?" Dom asked.

Kel looked up to meet his blue eyes. "He isn't. He'll be staying at his fief. He has charge of it now."

Dom's eyes widened as he took that in. "What about…" he trailed off as he realised what must have happened to Lerant's sister, Cynthia. "Poor Lerant."

Kel nodded. "Yes." She turned with a grin to Neal. "Ready for another match?"

Neal glared at her, and he turned accusing emerald eyes on his cousin. "Kel tells me you were teaching her tricks with an axe, that she very kindly used on me."

Dom shrugged. "Not my fault you're not good enough to beat her, is it?" He turned to walk away; then he stopped and studied Kel carefully. "Will you be alright?"

Kel grinned at him. "I'll be fine, but if you don't mind, I think our dear friend Nealan and I have got another match to fight."

Neal groaned theatrically and threw up his hands in disgust. "Can't we do something that I'm good at? Like swords?"

Dom raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "You think you can beat Kel at swords? Perhaps you could, in a condition like this, but if you were fighting her for real, I think you'll find she just might kill you first."

Neal glared at his cousin. "Only because she has the whole of the Third Company to teach her!"

Dom shrugged. "Doesn't matter, she's still better than you."

Kel blushed slightly. "Will you two please stop it?" She stalked over to the rail where her sword hung and unsheathed it. "We'll settle this now."

Neal grinned, slid his sword from his sheath and stepped into the court to join Kel. "I'll win," he whispered as they moved into the 'Guard' position. He struck the first blow with a force that surprised Kel, but it was a lesser force than the one that most of the men of the Own fought with. She parried his blow and as he danced back, she brought her spare hand to the hilt and brought her sword crashing into his with such a force that his blade nearly fell out of his hand.

"That has to be cheating," Neal remarked as they circled each other.

"You never set any rules," Kel told him, quite truthfully. She was aware that as they fought on, neither really trying to end the match, that they had gained quite an audience, made up of mostly pages and members of the King's Own.

"Come on, Kel!" she heard a voice yell, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Zakit sitting on the fence, swinging his legs idly, almost as if he were sure of her victory. She grinned and moved in on Neal, a flurry of attacks and then danced back as soon as he started to defend himself. Using these blunt practise swords, it would take a very hard blow to draw blood, but Kel didn't think it would get that far.

"Get a move on, Neal!" a boisterous voice shouted. "You can do better than that!"

When Neal made the mistake of turning to glare at the page who had made the comment, Kel lunged, her sword heading straight for the kill position, but at the last moment Neal brought his sword up and leaped out of the way.

"Honestly, Mindelan, you should have got him there!" a cold voice commented. "You're better than he is."

Neal's surprise showed on his face, neither of them had realised Joren was watching the match, let alone that he would almost cheer Kel on. Kel recognised Joren's tactic, it was something he had used to defeat Qasim, one of the best swordsmen in the Third Company. Joren had arranged for a friend to shout comments that were unusual, and Qasim, despite being an expert swordsman, was out off his balance and Joren had danced in and won the match, now he was expecting Kel to do the same. It wasn't cheating, there was nothing stopping spectators shouting encouragement. Quick as lightning, Kel leapt in and held her sword at Neal's throat in the kill position.

Neal's eyes showed his surprise as he held his hands up and bowed to her. "Well fought," he told her as they walked from the practise courts, allowing some of the King's Own to duel.

"Thanks," Kel told him. "It was very close."

Neal laughed. "When you won it was, if it had gone on for much longer I would have made some stupid mistake."

Kel saw a flash of blond as the Commander's squire walked into the stables. "Wait a minute," she told Neal as she ran after Joren.

He was grooming Drum when she approached him cautiously. As she studied him, she decided that the Goldenlake colours didn't really suit him; blue would have worked much better. She grinned as she realised that she was acting just like the convent girls, they wore clothes for colour and fashion, but warriors wore clothes because they were practical, and the clothes Joren wore seemed to practical enough.

"Stone Mountain," she said as she walked closer.

"Mindelan," he acknowledged her without even looking up.

"Why?"

The question seemed ambiguous, but she knew that he understood what she was asking."Because you have ruined the reputation of the King's Own enough without sullying it further by loosing to Queenscove." His voice was so polite it was cold.

Kel nodded, then left, not saying anything further.

* * *

He was uncomfortably aware of eyes following him as he rode through the village, surrounded by his escort. He hadn't been seen here since his father died, and now he was riding in, clothed in finery whilst they were starving. He could see that they were fed, but not recently. They couldn't have had enough food since his sister died. 

With a low murmur to the men surrounding him, he pulled out of their protective circle and jumped easily out of the saddle. Reaching into the pockets of his trousers, he found coins and pulled them out to give them to the villagers of Eldorne, but then he hesitated. What good would coins do them? There was nowhere for them to spend them—merchants didn't set up shop in Eldorne for fear of offending the King—all the food was bought off of neighbouring fiefs. He pulled off his saddlebag and rummaged deep into it, pulling out food and drink, the remainders of his travel rations. Then he moved onto his guards' bags, ignoring their cries of protest their things were emptied out into the mud. Collecting it all up, he went to a little boy who was leaning against a wall. The child looked in fear at Lerant and ran, nearly falling in his haste to escape. Lerant sighed.

"I've food here," he announced, "But I can't give it to you if you run away."

An old woman hobbled forwards. "Please me Lord, some fer me daughter?"

Lerant nodded, and handed her bread. "It's all I can give you for today, but if you come up to the Eldorne House tomorrow, I'll make sure you all get some more."

There were low murmurs, and he heard a lot of disbelief in them. With a smile to the crowd watching him, he mounted his horse again, and continued his way to the house, trailed by offended guards.

When his younger brother met him at the gate to the Eldorne grounds, the first thing that Lerant said as he dismounted and let the stable boy take his horse was, "Oh gods, Liam…we've got a lot of work to be doing."

* * *

A/N: Yes…I've been missing for ages…however insert long stream of pathetic excuses here. Look on the bright side! I haven't been missing for that long! Well, not as long as last time. 

As ever, thank-you so much to 'Lady Silvamord' for being my beta and checking this through. It was in bad need of it.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and reviews will be ever welcome, and especially CC. I'll love you forever if I get that!

Hannah


	13. Chapter Twelve

**A/N:** I'm really hoping this is the right chapter, I'm fairly certain it is, but the chapter before this has gone missing from my update folder on the hardrive so I'm not certain that it is…

**Chapter Twelve**

In the early morning light, over a hundred men were pounding out of the King's Own barracks and the stables, not paying any attention to any of the pages stupid enough to get in the way. Pulling her burnoose tighter around her shoulders, Kel attached a lead rein to Emerald and guided both her and Magewhisper out into the courtyard where the pages stood, gawking, at the sight of the King's Own lining up, waiting for inspection before they rode out. When Kel took her usual place in the line, there was a space to her right where Lerant usually stood. She bit her lip and tried not to think of her friend. Dom, who usually lined up on Lerant's right, seemed to notice that, and he stepped closer towards her, motioning for the rest of the line to move one to the left as well.

"Seems odd, doesn't it?" he remarked as they stood and waited for Flyn to finish his inspections. "When I was new here, he was here even then."

Kel sighed. "It's very strange," she admitted. "I'm not sure that I like it."

Dom studied Kel for a long time and then replied, "No, I don't think I do either."

As Wyldon talked with Lord Raoul, Neal walked over to his cousin and Kel. "Where are you off to this time?"

Dom shrugged. "Somewhere on the Scanran border, but that's all I know."

"Chop up lots of Scanrans for me then," Neal told them both, clapping Dom on the shoulder and hugging Kel quickly before he stepped back, letting them both mount up. As they rode out of the palace gates, Kel looked behind her and saw that the men had changed their riding formation subtly. Dom had moved up to ride next to her, bringing the entire right column up one. Dom didn't say anything, neither did Zakit, his usual riding partner, instead they both grinned innocently.

* * *

He brought the axe down again, sending a blizzard of chips flying and the watching village girls shied away. Picking up the small pieces of wood, he threw them to his brother, who put them in a basket and set off to distribute them around the village. Winter was fast approaching, it was getting colder and colder, and the villagers had been complaining among themselves of a lack of firewood. When Lerant and Liam heard of that, they set out to rectify the problem, and so far had enough wood to keep the villagers warm for the first week of winter – quite an impressive feat considering that there was over three hundred villagers and the wood chopping had only been going on a day. Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, he unbuttoned his shirt and continued to hack away at the logs that the village children had been gathering all day.

"We'll have to stop soon," Liam announced after they had filled seven more baskets. "Dusk is approaching and I expect the villagers would like to eat, I know I certainly would."

Lerant nodded, but continued to chop. "Just a few more baskets?" he pleaded with his brother, knowing that if they didn't work for long enough, the village would freeze by the middle of winter.

Gently Liam took the axe out of his brother's hands. "No. Food, rest and then we'll start early tomorrow."

* * *

"There it is." Dom pointed to the hill that rose imposingly against the dawn sky. "Home for the next nine months."

Kel looked at the imposing hill and at the water supply that was at the bottom. Living here was going to involve a lot of climbing up and down hills. "Joy," she said tonelessly. "How did we get stuck building the new fort?" she asked.

"There was a call for a company to be out here to help with the building before winter set in."

"But why _us_?" Kel asked. "The First and the Third were at the palace, so why us?"

Dom laughed wryly. "Why else? My Lord felt that with winter coming up, it was a bad time to be in the palace, after all, balls happen in winter."

Kel groaned. "You mean we're stuck out here, building a fort just because our commander has an aversion to social events? I'm going to kill him!"

"That's insubordination," Raoul commented as he rode over to talk with Dom. "I could just give you the night watch for that."

Kel rolled her eyes, she knew he wouldn't do that; he was fair, if nothing else. She would take her turn at night watch, but he wouldn't make her do it more than they rest. Leaving Dom and Raoul deep in discussion about the best way to put their limited troops to the best use alongside the soldiers already working there, Kel dismounted and led Magewhisper to the stream to care for her.

"What a gloomy place!" Zakit complained as they watered and fed their horses.

Kel yawned. "I know. I can see why they would want a fort here, it would be easier to defend than somewhere downriver, but it really does make it inconvenient for us poor people building the gods-cursed thing." She looked up at the hill to where the bare structure of a fort could be seen. The walls were starting to take shape and when they were finished she could see that they would be a formidable structure, if they were defended well. She sighed; she was about to get her first taste of border forts, something she was eager to be doing.

"I'd hope the thing isn't gods-cursed," Zakit remarked as he ran a brush through his horse's tail. "We'd be doomed to failure if it was."

Kel shrugged. "True, and thinking about it, I'd rather it wasn't too, but…"

"I can see your point," Zakit told her as he started up the hill, "But don't wish trouble on us; we've enough as it is."

* * *

She couldn't tell if she was amused or frustrated as she stood at the foot of the rudimentary wall that had begun to take shape around the wooden fort. Once the walls were built, the buildings inside would be ripped down and gradually the walls of the important buildings would be replaced with stone. But her mind wasn't on that at the moment. Above her, sitting on the top of the wall, was her saddle. Thankfully, whoever put the saddle up there hadn't thought to put her horse up there with it.

"Joren," she sighed as she pulled her burnoose off from around her neck and rolled up her sleeves. Despite a fear of heights, she would go up there, after all, it wasn't hers to leave up there; it was the property of the King's Own. Breathing deeply, she set off up the wall, climbing steadily and doing her best not to look down or think about what she was doing. As she climbed, she sang all the songs she could think of, both Tortallan and Yamani.

Her foot slipped and she gripped the stones so hard her knuckles went white. Biting back a shriek, she very carefully felt about with her foot until she could find another foothold. Her other foot slipped, and she heard a clatter as the stone she had been standing on tumbled to the floor. Kel froze. If one stone fell, all of them could and she could find herself under all of the rocks. "Oh Gods," she murmured, knowing that she had to look down to check where she could put her feet, but also knowing that if she looked down, she wouldn't be able to go any further up, nor down, she would simply freeze and be unable to move.

"Kel?" a voice called from below. "What are you doing?"

"I…" she trailed off as her throat tightened with fear. Swallowing, she started again, "I'm trying not to fall."

"Stay there, don't move!" she heard the fall of running steps as whoever it was went for help.

To Kel, it seemed that she was up there for hours, just clinging on and hoping for the best. She cursed herself and her fear of heights. Now the rest of the men would think she was little better than a sissy or a court lady.

"Can you hear me, Kel?"

"My lord?" Kel asked, daring to turn her head slightly so that she could see Raoul standing on the ground, his hair mussed from the wind. Joren stood behind him, looking as perfect as ever, with a smirk barely hidden behind his hand.

"Yes," Raoul replied. "Can you climb down?"

"I've got to climb up first, my Lord. My saddle's up there."

"Saddle?" Raoul asked in wonder and then he turned to his squire. "Did you by any chance have anything to do with this?"

Kel couldn't hear his reply, but she shouted, "Of course he didn't, my Lord, I expect it was just one of the soldiers that left today, probably some kind of a joke."

"Whatever you say, Kel. Hang on for another few minutes, I'll send someone up for your saddle, and then we'll find someway to get you down."

Kel gulped. "I wouldn't send anyone up, sir. The wall is very unstable." As if to prove her point, another stone clattered the thirty or so metres to the ground.

There was a heated conversation on the ground, but it was too quiet for Kel to hear. Softly she began to recite the common prayers to the Goddess that most were taught as young children. "Hear us Mother, help us Mother…" she trailed off as she heard a few stones below her fall to the ground and someone yelp, presumably as they were hit.

"Stay exactly where you are," a familiar voice told her. "I don't want stones bouncing off of my head."

Kel grinned. "But Dom, it would be such an easy way to kill you!" she protested, making reference to a long-running joke between Lerant, Dom and herself.

There was a grunt and Dom pulled himself up to the same level as Kel. "Zakit is getting your saddle, I'm to get you down."

Kel regarded him with wry amusement. "And how are you going to do that?"

"Like this," he replied, and very gently, he pried her right hand from the rock it was clutching onto. He tested a rock for strength and then pointed at it. "Put your hand here."

Hesitantly, Kel did as she was told.

"Now move your left foot down," he ordered. "No! Not there!" he cried, "One lower."

Slowly – very slowly – Kel made her way down the wall, only freezing once or twice. Once she could, she jumped from the wall and landed on the ground with a thump, causing the dust to fly up around her.

"Good." Raoul started to walk away. "Once you've got yourself sorted, I would like to see you in my tent please, Kel."

Kel closed her eyes and sighed. He really did not sound best pleased with her.

"And before Raoul has a word with you, I'd like a word with you as well," Dom told her, his voice almost icy now that she was in no danger.

Kel nodded. "Now is as good a time as any," she replied, and followed him into his tent.

When they were alone, he spun to face her. "What in the name of Mithros do you think you were doing?" he hissed, his bright blue eyes flashing wildly. "You could have been seriously injured! In fact, you could have been _killed_!"

Kel looked at her feet and fidgeted slightly. "Sir, I…"

"_You could have been killed!_" Dom repeated, pointing his finger at her with every word for emphasis.

She swallowed. "I know, sir."

"And yet you did it anyway?"

"I had to get my saddle down, sir. How else would I get it?"

Dom sighed. "You knew you had a fear of heights, you should have asked someone else to get it for you! If you'd asked, I would have, or even Zakit would have. What if you had been killed? Do you think I really want to inform your family that you died, not in battle, but because you were stupid enough to climb a wall? And what do you think your friends would think?"

"I'm sorry," Kel told him, slipping her hands into her pockets. "I won't do it again."

Her commanding officer stood in silence for a moment and then shrugged. "Fine, just next time you're considering doing something like that, ask someone to do it for you! You're dismissed, and don't forget to see my Lord."

Running a hand through her hair, she nodded and left Dom's tent and head for Raoul's to receive the same lecture.

* * *

As she stared at her shoes, which had very kindly been filled with stagnant water, she grabbed her needle and threads from her uniform repair kit and was out of the door before she had even realised what she was doing. After the incident with the saddle, she had sworn to herself that she wouldn't retaliate when Joren played more of his childish tricks, but something in her did not want to give up. And besides, she thought with a grin, I think Lerant would be most disappointed in me if I gave up. In every letter she received from him, he pestered her to tell him the latest tricks that Joren had played on her, and what she was going to do about it as well as giving her ideas. This one was Lerant's idea; it was an old trick, but according to him, one of the best.

Slipping quietly into Joren's room, she headed for his wardrobe and carefully laid all his clothes out on his bed; then sat down and got to work.

An hour or so later, Joren's clothes resembled nothing more than two pieces of material sewn together. All the sleeves had been sewn together and the bottoms of his tunics were hemmed so tightly that he'd have to cut the stitching out, stitch by stitch. On his trousers, she had stitched the pockets together and the legs, but being as rushed for time, she had left the waistband alone.

Carefully, she hung his clothes back up in the wardrobe in the same order she had found them and darted out into the corridor, just in time to see Joren walking around the corner, talking almost animatedly with Qasim and Raoul. She smiled sweetly at him and sauntered away, singing under her breath.

* * *

Blearily she opened her eyes, struggling to see in the pitch dark of the night. From down the corridor, she could hear loud cursing and the thumping of senior officers waking up their men. With a large yawn, she rolled out of bed, just as she heard Dom's voice calling for her to get up. Yelling that she was already up, she ran for the washrooms with her clothes in a bundle in her hand. Fully clothed, she returned to her room to arm herself. Being called out on the border was different from being called out at the palace. At the border, they were only going to fight a battle and would be back at the fort once it had finished, but if they were called out from the palace, they may not come home for a few months. As she hunted for spare arrows, she heard loud footsteps coming up the corridor. Presumably it was Raoul, coming to brief her. Kel was briefed separately from the men, they were briefed as they washed and readied themselves in the washrooms, but Kel was briefed in her own room.

"Kel," Raoul started before he'd even quite reached her room. "There has been an attack on the Northwatch Fortress, not too serious, but…"

There was a loud clatter, and a splash.

Whirling around, Kel saw that Raoul stood, not yet in full battle gear, just chain mail and his house colours. His massive frame, which almost filled the doorway, was soaked. Sloe eyes glared at her and she saw him clench his fists. "Find Dom," he ordered her. "He'll brief you."

As he left, Kel found a wooden bucket on the floor, surrounded by a pool of water.

"Joren's been up to his old tricks, eh?" Dom asked from his room across the corridor. He locked the door, threw the bucket Kel held back inside her room, and guided her down the corridor. "Now, Northwatch Fortress isn't in any immediate danger, however, it's the squad of men that are trapped in the forest that we're worried about. Probably, they won't be able to hold off their attackers until we get there, so most likely, we'll be left to drive the Scanrans away from their bodies, but that can't really be helped."

Kel nodded and listened intently as he gave details about the surrounding landscape and the number of men trapped in the forest; it should not be a difficult fight, but she did not like to take chances.

* * *

Raoul looked a great deal calmer than he had been when Kel had last seen him. He sat across the desk from her, tapping a pencil on the wood and staring unerringly at her.

"Honestly my Lord! I've no idea how that water got there!" she exclaimed with fake innocence in reply to his last question.

"So if you have no idea and the servants have no idea, that must mean that it was my squire," Raoul replied calmly.

"Joren?" Kel asked, plastering what she hoped was a surprised expression on her face. "No! He wouldn't do something like that!"

"Quit lying, Kel!" Raoul said firmly. "Pranks are fine, but when they get the point of saddles on walls, clothes being stitched up and water being thrown on people before a battle, that is dangerous."

Kel thought it best not to ask how clothes being stitched up were dangerous. Nodding, she shuffled slightly in her chair, preventing herself from getting a dead leg.

"I want these dangerous pranks to stop," Raoul ordered. "Am I understood?"

Kel nodded. "Understood, sir."

"Good, dismissed. I shall be asking Dom to keep an eye on you and Joren, and if he finds any more…dangerous behaviour, you shall both be severely reprimanded, clear?"

"Clear, sir," Kel replied as she turned to leave. "Perfectly clear."

* * *

Stamping his feet in an effort to warm them, Lerant brushed the snow from his cloak.

"You look freezing," Liam commented as Lerant bent down and looked into a mirror in a futile attempt to remove the snow from his floppy hair.

Lerant nodded. "Utterly freezing. Do you have any idea how cold it is out there? And Mistress Calhall is suffering from the cold even worse then we are. Since the death of her husband, she has no one to bring in money of chop wood, we've done all we can and the village has helped out, but there's a limit to that."

Liam's reply was a simple one; "Well, I'll send a message to her then, get her to come up here and she can work here. I'm sure we can find her work as housekeeper or something."

Lerant flashed a grateful grin. "Thanks. I'll see you at supper." He turned and bounded up the stairs, three at a time. Walking through the wide, cold corridors, he was glad that his study was well heated. Right now, all he needed was to relax in front of the fire and read, or maybe sleep. He had spent most of the day travelling between Eldorne and the neighbouring fief, pleading for food for the winter and blankets for the village. Though reluctant to help a traitorous family, the mistress of the house had agreed to send over a hundred blankets and enough food for just over half of the village. It would arrive as soon as the weather cleared enough for wagons to travel.

Opening the door to his study, he sighed with relief as he felt the hot air surround him. Then he stiffened. Laying on his floor were four children, between the ages of seven and fourteen, and in his chair sat a young woman – she was married to the blacksmith if he remembered rightly – with a slumbering babe in her arms. She smiled at him as he backed out of the room and tore down the corridors and stairs to find Liam. There were people in his room, his space; a place where he could do whatever he wanted and no one could protest.

"Liam!" he yelled as he ran around the corner into the drawing room where Liam was meeting with the head of the village. "I need a word with you."

Liam looked up in puzzlement, but nodded. "Recheck those calculations," he told the man and then he slipped out of the door with Lerant, closing the door behind him.

"What's going on?" Lerant demanded. "I walk into my study to find four children and a young woman and her child there, like it was their own home!"

Liam regarded his brother like someone had possessed him. "It's too cold for the children, both of us agreed that everything has to be done to protect the children. So I took them in, and the mothers of all the children under four."

"I can understand that, but why my study?" Lerant asked, trying to keep his voice low.

"Your study is one of the warmest rooms in the house. There are seven in my study, eleven in the nursery, and the rest are in the kitchen on temporary pallets."

"Liam, my study is just that, _mine_! I need somewhere to relax on my own, to write letters, I don't want my privacy invaded."

Liam stared at him coldly. "Do you want those five children to die? Because that is what will happen if I cast them out into the cold. If it bothers you that much, throw them out yourself, you can be responsible for their deaths." With that comment, he turned and stalked back into the drawing room.

Lerant sighed. When it was put that way, he could see why they were using his study. Poking his head around the door, he said, "I'm sorry, I don't really know what came over me."

Liam smiled at him. "No problem."

* * *

As Kel rethreaded her bootlaces, she realised that Joren had gone over two months without ruining or hiding some of her things. Then he had stolen her boots and thrown them out into the snow, leaving them to freeze overnight. They'd only just dried enough for Kel to rethread her laces.

She sighed. It seemed that they were back on track with their spiteful – for that was what they were – jokes. Kel almost smiled, Lerant had some very good ideas; she could certainly put some of them into action.

* * *

**A/N:** Right, a massive and I mean massive round of applause for Lady Silvamord, the wondrous beta, without who there would be no way you would even be getting this.

I'd also like to say thanks to everyone who has stuck with the story and especially me I know, I'm terrible, I kick myself every night when I've gone to bed without doing the slightest bit of writing! so far. And massive thanks to people like **CrystalLili** who make my day with their CC! And, I can promise you I'll sort those things that you suggested out once I've thought of a suitable way of doing so! They're on my massive to-do list!

So, Merry Christmas!

Hannah


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, but a friend says I ought to be more specific that that, so, I do not own any of the names, characters or places that you may recognise in this fic. I own only: Sara, Cas, Zakit, Emerald, Daric, Arden, Liam, Sanya and Raylon.**  
**

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* * *

Chapter Thirteen**

She was dimly aware of the battle raging as she pushed her hair out of her eyes, smearing blood over her forehead and through her hair, the blood of Scanrans, her comrades and her own.

"Kel! Get over here!" Aiden yelled from his post away from the battle.

Regarding Aiden with something akin to suspicion, she nodded and turned away from the battle, which by now was very one-sided. "Everything aright?" she asked him as she approached him. Men on stretchers, both Tortallan and Scanran, surrounded him and assistants scurried to and fro, tending to the most badly injured first.

"Everything is going fine over here," Aiden replied. "But I want you to sit down on that stretcher over there for a few minutes."

"Aiden!" Kel protested. "I've no time, there are still Scanrans out there!" She tried to raise her right arm, but pain shot up to her shoulder.

Aiden nodded grimly as she winced. "I know, but you're injured."

"Not that badly!" Kel replied, making to rejoin the battle.

Roughly, Aiden yanked her glaive from her hands and glared at her. "Sit, now."

Kel scowled at him, but did as he ordered. As she sat, she had to fight not to collapse; she was feeling very light-headed.

"Now, shall we have a look at your injuries?" he asked in an almost patronising voice.

"Oh, go treat someone who really needs it!" she told him, placing her left hand behind her to steady herself.

Aiden said nothing, but he turned around and seemed to be searching for someone. "Ah, Sara, there you are."

A female healer, robed in the white of a novice, turned around, looking almost startled to hear her name. "Yes?"

"Can you take a look at this young lady for me? I've got to go and rescue yet someone else from the field." He left, taking it for granted that she would and ploughed through the fight, wielding his sword expertly, but not killing anyone.

"Morning, my Lady," Sara greeted her as she curtsied and then gently removed Kel's burnoose. "You look like you've got a few nasty injuries."

Kel snorted. "No, Aiden's just being over-protective. I'll be fine."

"Of course you will, my lady, now if you'd just let me…" Sara grimaced as she gently pried Kel's chain mail out of the deep gash in her arm.

Kel gritted her teeth and suffered in silence, hoping that it would all be over quickly. Her upper arm throbbed violently now that the adrenaline from the battle had started to wear off and she watched, feeling slightly detached, as the blood trickled down her arm, making her arm guards sticky. Gentle hands pressed to her injury and out of the corner of her eye she could see the spark of magic stemming the blood flow. Kel couldn't deny that she was injured, but Yamanis were meant to work through pain and keep going. Healers were all well and good, but only after the battle had finished, and yet they were also taught not to disobey the Healers, so Kel knew she was stuck right where she was, being completely useless.

"Now my lady, I'll have to bandage this up, but I want to see you again tonight," Sara told her as she reached for the bandages.

"You're letting her walk off with an injury like that?" an incredulous voice demanded. "Gods, Sara, you expect to pass your exams?"

Kel turned to see a young man in Rider uniform with the green armband to signify his position as squad healer. He was smeared with blood, none of it his, and his long blonde hair was gathered back in a horsetail. His pale blue eyes gave him the appearance of a Scanran, and Kel guessed he must have been born close to the border.

"Oh shut up, Cas!" Sara uttered, but she dropped the bandages back onto the stretcher and turned back to Kel's injury.

"Let me," the young man told her and he dropped to the floor by Sara. "You go and look after someone else."

Sara glared at the blue-eyed man and stalked off, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

The man grinned at Kel. "Sorry about that, my sister can be…difficult at times."

Kel shrugged, not really bothered about the arguments.

The man did not seem to put off by the absence of her reply. "I'm Casson – Cas for short – the Healer in the Fifteenth Rider Group. Who are you?"

"Kel," she replied, straining for any sight of Dom or Zakit in the battle. She hadn't seen them since they – two squads of the Own, Dom and Aiden's – had been attacked on the road back to their fort, guarding a supply train from Northwatch.

"Ah, the infamous Lady Kel," Cas replied with a wide grin. "How's life in the Own?"

"Fine," Kel replied, pulling away from him as she thought she caught a glance of Zakit's dark skin and black mop of hair. She saw someone fall to the floor and her heart stopped until she realised the body wore the rags of a Scanran, not the blue and silver of the Own. Seconds later, she saw Zakit leap over the body as he engaged in battle with another Scanran. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down again. "Sorry," she said to Cas. "Thought a friend had been injured."

Cas shrugged. "How did you get this injury anyway?"

"No idea," Kel replied honestly. "I know someone tried to shoot me, but…" She shrugged.

Cas nodded as he continued healing, mending the worst. Deftly he bandaged her arm up and then reached for a sheet of parchment and pen. He scribbled a note and then handed it to Kel. "Give this to your commanding officer."

"What is it?" Kel asked suspiciously.

"Orders for you to be sent home to recover," Cas replied, getting to his feet and collecting together his tools and bandages.

"Sent home?" Kel protested. "Why?"

Cas raised his eyebrows at her. "Have you actually thought about your injury in the slightest? What good will you be when you've got a serious injury on your sword arm? And you're right handed?" When Kel nodded, he continued, "You won't be able to fight or do scribe duties for a while." He turned to walk off. "Oh, and don't forget to give that to your commanding officer, I don't want to find you here this time next week, or else it'll be too late before the heavy snow comes in and blocks the passes."

Kel sighed and stumbled up and over to where the rest of the injured Own's men were waiting, two of them with orders to leave in their hands.

* * *

Her saddlebags were packed, Emerald was attached to the lead rein along with the other spare horses and Magewhisper stood impatiently by the gate. 

"Be careful," Zakit told her, hugging her tight. "I don't want to hear that you got killed on the way home."

"You won't," Kel told him with a grin.

"I should hope not," Dom remarked as he ruffled her hair. "I'd rather not have to replace a member of my squad, and especially after she hasn't even been with us for four years yet."

"So you don't care about me?" Kel asked humorously. "You just don't want to have to go through the hassle of replacing a squad member. Well, it's always nice to know where you're wanted!"

"Shut up, silly!" Dom cuffed her ear lightly. "You know exactly what I meant."

Kel grinned at him. "Yeah, I did." She turned to see where Daric and Arden were. The other two men were making their way to their horses. "I've got to go." She waved to the rest of the squad who had come to see her off and mounted Magewhisper.

"Kel!" Dom called as she urged Magewhisper into a walk. "My cousin will be at the palace."

"Of course he will," Kel replied, wondering why he felt the need to tell her that. "It's midwinter in just over a month, one of the busiest times of year for a page."

"No, not Meathead, his sister. She's visiting the palace for the midwinter feasts with a selection of girls from the convent. You'll have to find her, she's your age."

Kel nodded, smiled, waved one last time and then kicked Magewhisper into a canter to catch the other two up.

* * *

"Hey Neal," Kel said as she slid into an empty space at the table, biting into her bread before she had even sat down. 

"Kel?" Neal asked in amazement as he turned to see her.

"Uh huh," she replied through a mouthful of bread. "How are you?"

He ignored her question. "What are you doing here? I thought the Third was still at the border."

"They are. I was sent home on injury leave." She turned to face Merric. "Could you pass the butter please?" He nodded and handed her the wooden plate with the butter on it. She smiled her thanks and spread it thickly on the remains of her bread. "Delicious," she remarked as she bit into it. "I don't think I've had butter in ages."

"Injury leave?" Neal repeated. "You were injured?"

"Yes. We were ambushed by Scanrans whilst guarding a supply train on its way to Northwatch. Cas – a healer – insisted on three of us returning to the palace on injury leave."

"How badly injured?" Neal asked quickly, and Kel saw his fingers twitching, almost like he was certain that no one else could be trusted to heal his best friend.

"Well that depends on whom you want to believe," Kel told him. "I was sent home because I injured my right arm, and apparently it could take a while to be properly healed. The healer said that seeing as it was my sword arm, there would be no point to me staying on the border, so he sent orders to my commanding officer to send me home."

"Who's your commanding officer?" Neal asked curiously.

"Your cousin. Didn't you realise that when we last saw you?"

Neal shook his head. "No, you seemed more like friends than commander and subordinate."

Kel shrugged and she polished off the rest of her stew before she spoke again. "Where are Cleon and Roald?"

"With their Knight masters. Cleon and your brother are due back sometime next week and Roald is spending the winter at Port Legann with Sir Imrah."

Kel nodded and sighed. "Ah well, I'll catch you around. I've got to report to the commander of the First Company whilst I'm at the palace, although I've been given orders not to do anything that involves using my hand, so I think he'll be hard pressed to find me work."

"So you get to laze around while we work our butts off?" Neal asked indignantly.

Kel laughed. "Yes." It was only once she was nearly out of the door that she turned to ask, "Is your sister at court yet? Dom told me to look her up."

Neal nodded his head. "Yes, she's staying with my parents, I'll introduce you to her tonight."

* * *

Duke Baird smiled kindly at her. "Keladry! It's been a long time since I've seen you." 

Kel nodded. "Yes, your Grace."

His face turned grave. "My son tells me you've been injured."

Kel shrugged. "I'm on injury leave, yes, but I'm fine, really." She grinned at Neal as he came to stand by his father. The resemblance between them was plain to see. "And I thought you would be studying for your big exams," she joked.

Neal smiled and guided her into the room. "Sanya," he called, and there was a muffled shout back. He turned to Kel. "She'll be here in a minute, probably applying the last touches to her make-up, checking her hair is perfect or some other useless thing."

"Neal, be kind," rebuked Baird softly.

Neal's mouth opened in a retort but then he caught his father's eye and nodded submissively. "Yes, Father." He turned to Kel. "You wouldn't let me have a look at your arm earlier, but we've plenty of time now."

Kel laughed and shook her head. "Neal, for goodness sake, I'm fine. I saw a healer as the battle was winding down."

"Yes, but he, or she, may have been rushed and wouldn't have had the time to treat you properly!" Neal told her, rising out of his seat and moving to sit on the arm of her chair.

"I'm fine," Kel told him firmly.

Baird chuckled under his breath. "Which healer did you see? Anyone I might know of?"

Kel shrugged despite the pain that coursed through her arm at the simple movement. "A Rider Healer, I think he said he was from the Fifteenth."

"Casson Loachan?" Baird asked.

Kel nodded. "Cas, yes, and his sister Sara."

Baird grinned. "I trained Cas, until he dropped out in favour of a career in the Riders, and I'm training Sara with another healer. They're both very talented." He turned to his son, "If Casson treated her, I'm sure she'll be fine."

Neal looked imploringly at her.

"You're not going to talk about anything else until I let you, are you?" Kel asked wryly.

Neal shook his head, and taking her question for permission to inspect her arm, he gently pushed the short sleeves of her tunic up to her shoulders and unwound the bandages. "Nasty," he commented calmly. "How did you get it? Sword? Arrow?"

Kel shrugged. "Probably both. I was shot at, I know that, but I hadn't noticed how bad the injuries were until Aiden ordered me out of the battle and to the healer's station."

"You were fighting with an injury like that?" Neal asked in horror.

Kel shrugged and opened her mouth to reply, but a young woman walked into the room.

"Ah, Sanya, at last," Neal said dryly.

"Oh Nealan, what a pity," Sanya replied in an equally dry voice. Then she turned her attention to Kel. "Oh you poor thing, you got injured? Have you seen a healer?"

Kel smiled. "Yes, four of them now." She stood up, straightening her burnoose. "I'm Keladry of Mindelan."

Sanya smiled. "Neal's told me a lot about you, I'm Sanya of Queenscove, Neal's sister. Was there any particular reason you wanted to see me?"

Kel shook her head. "Dom told me you were at the palace and that I ought to meet you, I hope you don't mind."

The girl shook her head, her emerald eyes flashing with excitement. "No, it'll be great to meet someone new. Neal isn't the most inspirational company I've ever had."

With an offended glare, Neal said, "I can see where I'm not wanted!"

"At last, I had thought it would never dawn on him," Sanya muttered. With an almost angelic smile to her father, she took Kel's uninjured arm and guided her from the room and along the corridors to another room. "My room," Sanya told Kel as she pulled Kel through the doorway.

Sanya's room was brightly coloured with big paintings adorning the wall that her bed was pushed up against. As Kel walked in and turned around, she was surprised to see that the wall that the door came from was decorated with weapons. She looked from the wall to Sanya and back again, the brunette did not looked strong enough to use any of the weapons; she had the look of a dainty court lady, not a battle hardened warrior nor that of a woman who used weapons for the exercise.

Seeing Kel's look, Sanya explained, "I can't use them. They just looked really nice on the walls. The only weapon I can use is a bow and even then just because my father and brothers insisted I learnt so that I could protect myself. Neal was determined to teach me how to fight with a knife, but I had no wish to carry knives under my skirts like a thief."

Kel nodded slowly, unsure what to make of her comment about thieves. The Queenscove family were well-known progressives and good friends of the Baron and Lady Alanna, so she was sure Sanya meant nothing derogatory by it, but what did she mean?

"So I'm the complete opposite to you in that, you carry knives, surely?" Sanya's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth. "I didn't mean you were a thief, honest! I just meant that we were complete opposites in that I don't use weapons and you do. I wasn't calling you a thief, honestly, I wasn't!"

Kel chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't take offence."

Sanya visibly relaxed. "Thank the Goddess for that! Neal would be ever so mad if I annoyed you!"

"Huh!" Kel snorted. "He's too protective for his own good, I think it runs in the family, Dom can be just as bad."

* * *

"And then what happened next?" eager voices pestered. 

"Next, the mighty Lioness handed the King of Thieves the fabled Dominion Jewel with strict orders for him to make sure it got to the King."

"She handed the most important object to a thief?" one young voice demanded. "That was stupid! He'd just steal it!"

Lerant grinned slightly. "He didn't. He took the jewel and raced through the hallways of the palace, slaying men as he ran towards the throne room. When he got there, he found the battle raging fully, as hordes of men in Eldorne and Tirragen colours fought with the King's Own men…" he looked up as the door to the study opened and Liam stuck his head around the door. "Can it wait?" Lerant asked, gesturing at the children who sat in front of the warm fire, eagerly listening to his version of the Coronation Day Battle. Every afternoon, some of the children gathered in Lerant's study and he recounted the tales of battles both old and new. Sometimes he told them of the famous battles that the Lioness had fought in, the some of the battles during the Immortals War and sometimes about the border skirmishes that he himself had fought with the Own.

Liam shook his head. "No, it can't wait; the children will have to amuse themselves for a while." He glanced towards the children who were eyeing him with interest. "Can you step outside a moment?"

Lerant nodded and felt worry well up inside of him as he gently placed the child that had been sleeping on his lap down on the rug and stepped outside. "What's wrong?" he asked as soon as the study door had closed.

Liam started walking down the hall, and Lerant followed him. "There's a storm coming in," Liam explained as they ran down the stairs. "A bad one if I'm any judge of it, very heavy snow to add to what we've already got. We sounded the horn and called all the villagers to the castle as usual, but there's one lad missing; a boy of about eight. According to his mother, he went out searching for a dog in the late morning. He'll have been out there for over five hours now. We need to find him."

Lerant sighed and closed his eyes. He had dreaded this ever happening. Searching for someone was hard enough, but searching during a snowstorm was hopeless. He looked out the window where the first flakes of snow were starting to fall. By the time they had gathered together a search party, it would be almost impossible to see further than a few metres. Instead of finding the missing boy, they could very well loose men as they searched. From the look on Liam's face, he knew as well as Lerant did that the search could very well be futile. The child could already be dead.

"Who is it?" Lerant asked as they ran to the Great Hall where the majority of the villagers were sheltering.

"Raylon Elam."

Lerant stopped still. "Little Raylon?" he asked as he face creased with worry. "He'd only just got over the flu!"

Liam nodded. "I know." He tugged on his brother's arm and they continued along. "I've got an idea to help with the searching. You know if horses have to ford a river that you tie them together? Well, can't we do something similar? Space out every few metres and tie each man to the next so we form a long continuous line? That way we can't lose people."

Lerant nodded. "Excellent idea, but do we have enough rope?"

Liam nodded. "We've sixty or seventy metres of it."

"We'll also need lanterns – the kind that can be tied to a belt – and lots of warm clothes for the villagers. We can't have them going out in the clothes they already have. Um…" Lerant ran a hand through his hair as they turned the corner and strode through the large double doors to the Great Hall. "Also long sticks, broom handles, or spears will do and sturdy leather boots, all sizes and enough for all the villagers. We'll need their help as well as that of the Eldorne guard."

There was uproar as they almost ran through the doors to the grand hall that used to host balls and such functions back in the days when Eldorne had the Crown's favour. Men and women besieged both Lerant and Liam as they pushed their way through to the steps at the front of the hall.

"Quiet!" Lerant yelled once he stood on the steps above the villagers. "I'm sure you all know that Raylon is missing and we need to find him. I want volunteers to help in the search alongside the Eldorne Guard. Only those that are well and have been for a few weeks. I don't want anyone out there who has the Flu or any other sickness. You can stay back here and help the servants prepare beds and drinks for the searchers and Raylon. If you are willing to help search, I want to see you at the storeroom now." Lerant turned and ran up the staircase towards his room.

When he returned to the storeroom minutes later and now clad in warm clothes and sturdy boots, he found both villagers and guardsmen changing into the warmer clothes that were being provided and tying themselves together as Liam was instructing them. Grabbing flint from the table, he lit lanterns and tied them to the rope that the searchers wore around their waists. Once everyone else was ready, he tied himself to the very end and made sure that Liam was tied to the other end. Checking he had a compass in his pocket, he started to lead the men out of the storeroom and through the corridors. In any other situation, he would have laughed. They must have made an amusing sight, tied to each other and walking in single file down the grand hallways of the Eldorne Castle.

As they stepped through the wide doors to the outside, Lerant felt the cold biting at his skin and he shivered. Snow fell around him, and the wind whipped it into a frenzy, making it swirl and leap as it covered the old snow in fresh white powder. Taking a deep breath, he placed his spear in front of him, feeling the ground around him so he would not fall. As they walked further from the house, the men began to form a horizontal line and Lerant glanced back, just in time to see the light from the fires disappear in the snow.

"This is bad," he muttered to himself. Then he straightened. "We head out to the fields!" he yelled over the wind. "If you need to contact the person next to you, yank on the rope!" Looking up at the dark sky, he sent up a brief prayer to Mithros, resettled the rope around his waist and walked with a confidence he did not feel towards the fields.

As time went on, he felt his eyes starting to close and then he slapped himself. If he let himself fall asleep, he would die for sure. No one could survive the cold for more than a few hours, Raylon was most probably dead. The thought depressed him and he tried not to think about it, instead he hung onto the hope that Raylon would be alive, possibly just playing at the castle and he had been missed during the head count. Shouts echoed through the fields, desperate voices calling for the small boy. He heard a muffled yell and the rope tightened as someone fell over, then it slackened again. Reaching to his hip, he pulled out a flask, drank a mouthful of brandy and fastened the flask to his hip again.

"Found him!" a voice yelled over the wind and Lerant ran blindly towards the voice. He stumbled, picked himself up and stumbled again. Cursing, he jumped up off of the ground and continued running towards the cluster of lights that shone through the snow. The searchers parted for him as he came towards them and he ducked under rope and crawled to where Liam was examining a clothed child.

"Well?" Lerant asked anxiously as he knelt beside the child.

There was no need for Liam to answer. Raylon lay curled up in a ball, covered in snow. His black hair had been pushed away from his face, which was blue with the cold and fixed in a grimace. His small fingers clutched at the body of a whimpering dog. He looked completely innocent, but very dead.

* * *

By late January, snowdrops were pushing through the snow around Raylon's grave. The clearing within the grounds of the Eldorne Castle that had become the graveyard was peaceful as Lerant stood there, his hands deep in his pockets and tears in his eyes. Since Raylon had been buried there, they had lost eleven more villagers from exposure to the cold and three from illness. Seven of the dead were children. Lerant bent down and plucked a snowdrop from the ground. Throwing it at the foot of Raylon's grave marker, he turned and strode from the clearing.

* * *

**A/N:** Just a little note, according to my beta - the most wonderful Anya, a.k.a. Lady Silvamord ::builds shrine and worships her:: - there are three or four words in there that are spelt different depending on the region you live in, so, it's not that I've got an incompetent beta - quite the opposite in fact – it's just I happen to live in England. 

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I feel terrible not getting around to thanking you individually, but I want to put this up asap, so I promise, within the next few chapters, I will thank everyone and answer questions.

Just to let you know, it may be a while before I update again, because I'm doing a little writer-y coure-y thingy that demands that I write nothing but what is set of me, so all my fanfiction is going to have to be snuck - is that a word? - in around this and I'll have to hope that no one notices, so...shush. It's between you and me, alright?

Hannah


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: Okay, I've finally got around to posting this chapter, but before you go ahead and read it, I'd like to inform you that it hasn't been beta-ed, so if you see any mistakes, even the smallest picky details, I want to know, please!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, don't own it.**

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* * *

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**Chapter Fourteen**

"You done yet?"

Kel shook her head as she trotted over to the desk and picked up the latest batch of messages. "No, my Lord. I've still got to deliver these messages to Her Majesty, and Sir Gareth." She bowed to her current taskmaster, Lord Glasdain of the First Company and jogged out of the door. For the past week she had been running messages and doing trivial work for the man. He was treating her more like a servant than a paid, fighting soldier of the realm. As much as she would have loved to slap the man, she knew it wasn't possible.

She jogged lightly along the corridor and up the spiralling stairs to the floor given to the Queen's Ladies. They were all situated on one floor simply for ease, if the Queen was needed at another fief immediately, she needed to gather her Ladies as quickly as possible. Walking to the Queen's study, Kel tapped on the door and then waited. A woman dressed in a plain sapphire dress opened the door and smiled at Kel.

"Can I help you?"

Kel nodded. "Yes, my Lady. I have a message for Her Majesty from Lord Glasdain." As she said this, the woman opened the door wider and invited her to come in.

Sitting behind a desk, under the crest of Conté, was Thayet the Peerless. She was not dressed in the glamorous ball gowns that she wore in public, but in a faded pair of breeches and a tunic. The sleeves to her tunic were pushed up past her elbows and her forearms were splattered in ink as she wrote on the scrolls of parchment in front of her. Kel cleared her throat and Thayet looked up, an almost surprised expression on her face. Kel bowed and then handed her message over.

Scanning the note, Thayet nodded. "I see." Pulling a sheaf of parchment towards her, she tore off a sheet and scribbled a brief reply. Smiling at Kel, she handed over the message. "Please give that to Glasdain."

Bowing to the Queen again, Kel backed out of the room. She delivered her message to Sir Gareth, got a reply from him as well as a few gold nobles for her trouble and returned to Glasdain's rooms with the replies. As she handed them over, he dismissed her for the rest of the day in his usual brusque style.

Kel walked along the corridors to her room, loosening the strings on her tunic. She could really enjoy a long, relaxing bath right now, but she had promised Cleon that she would go into Corus with him today as tomorrow her brother was headed for the very fort that the Own had been building, taking his squire with him. Pulling open her door, and kicking it shut behind her, Kel pulled her tunic over her head and threw it across the room. Rummaging through her drawers, she pulled out an old Mindelan tunic that she had and shrugged it over her shoulders. There was a knock on her door.

Calling, "Come in!" Kel grabbed a pair of flat-soled boots and sat down on her bed with a thump.

Cleon stuck his head around the door, then grinning at her he walked further in. He also sported the Mindelan colours of blue and grey and a large grin on his freckled face. "Hey."

Kel looked up from tying her bootlaces to grin at him. "Hey. What have you been up to?"

Cleon shrugged. "You know, this and that…Running around for that slave-driver of a knight-master," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice that let Kel know he was joking. "I don't know how you can be related to someone so…evil!"

Kel laughed and stood. She grabbed a cloak and then smiled at him. "Shall we go?"

"Certainly." Cleon walked over to the door and held it open. Bowing, he said, "After you, my lady."

As she walked through the door, Kel swatted him jokingly on the head and then pushed him through the door in front of her. She locked up and they through the Own's barracks and down through the streets to Corus.

For all that it was the height of winter, the sky was clear and the sun shone down on the streets, melting the slush to water. Women walked through the streets, their skirts hitched up and wooden clogs on their feet to keep their feet out of the slush. Children threw balls of sludge at each other, screeching as they were hit. Two young girls were duelling with wooden sticks. One wore the ragged clothes of a peasant, and the other the voluminous skirts of a noble's daughter.

Cleon caught her glance and smiled. "The noble child is the youngest daughter of Duke Harthrington of King's Reach – she's Faleron's youngest sister."

"Fal's sister?" Kel asked in amazement. "I wasn't even aware he had any sisters."

Cleon nodded. "Fal says she's his father's favourite – she gets anything she wants. And this young lady wants a knighthood."

Kel blinked. "You're joking? He's going to let her?"

Cleon shrugged. "I'm not sure he really has much choice. Princess Kalasin is staying at King's Reach; she had wanted to be a knight but the King refused to let her – she'd back up Analise and I'm not sure Fal's father would say no to Kalasin. Fal thinks Analise ought to train, and with King's Reach being where it is, the Duchess thinks that Analise needs some sort of defence training. The Duke is outnumbered, although that doesn't necessarily mean Analise will get her way. She may quiet easily end up in the convent and then apply for the post of Queen's Lady."

Kel grinned. "Well, I certainly hope she's allowed to…and that Lord Wyldon has more sense than to allow himself to be bribed again."

"Bribed?" Cleon asked in amazement. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"What do you mean whatever gave me that idea?" Kel asked. "I thought…" she tried to remember the day she was thrown out of page training. "Hang on…Wyldon didn't actually say that Burchard had paid him…I just assumed. After all, Burchard was in the room at the time…"

Cleon shrugged. "You weren't far wrong. Do you honestly think of Wyldon as the kind of person to take money to do something?"

"Well…"

"Lady Cavall was seriously ill at the time – a foreign disease that none of the Healer's could diagnose, from Juajin, she'd contracted it from a new servant at their fief. Burchard had servant from there who had a few healing capabilities, he said that if you were no longer training his servant may just be able to remember how to heal this disease."

Kel regarded him in a stunned silence for a few moments. "Gods, what a low thing to do!"

Cleon shrugged. "Well – I guess Stone Mountain breeds people like that. Talking of which, how's dear old Joren?"

Kel grinned slightly. "I haven't seen much of him recently."

"Still playing pranks?" Cleon asked as he handed money over to a seller and took the sweets off of him, handing half to Kel.

"More or less, although not as frequently as before Lerant left." She saw the flakes starting to fall from the sky and groaned. Snow may be pretty, but it wasn't practical. "Lovely," she said sarcastically.

Cleon looked up at the dark sky and pulled his cloak tighter around him. "Mmm…just gorgeous." Then he grinned widely. "Now we can make snowmen!"

"I've got a better idea!" a voice proclaimed from behind them. "Why don't we play 'make snow Cleon's'?"

Kel turned around and hugged Inness. "And how do you play that game?"

"Well," Inness replied, slinging his arm around Kel's shoulders as they continued up to the palace. "Cleon stands still, and we cover him in snow and leave him to freeze."

"Milord, you are unusually cruel!" Cleon complained with good humour.

Inness bowed with a flourish as they walked through the palace gates. "That's me!" He turned to Kel and kissed her on the forehead. "You're to go and pack. Duke Baird sent me with orders to tell you that you're going back out into the field. You can ride out with Cleon and I."

Kel bit back a squeal and let out a short laugh instead. "Really?"

With a nod Inness replied, "Yeah. You've got to have one last check-up, but unless there are any major problems, you'll be riding out with the troop of knights I'm commanding."

Kel grinned widely. "I can't wait!"

Cleon groaned. "You, Kel dearest, are the strangest person I've ever known. No one in their right mind is _happy_ to go back to the border." But despite saying that, he pulled her into a hug and said, "Congratulations."

* * *

"Well?" Cleon asked a few hours later as she walked out of Duke Baird's office. He was lounging in what Master Oakbridge – the pages' etiquette master – would called an 'unseemly manner' on the floor of the hallway, legs sprawled out, his back resting on the wall and his arms behind his red head.

Kel laughed at the sight he made and offered him a hand to haul him up. As he stood up and dusted himself off, she replied to his question. "I've been given the all clear. Told to get back to the border."

"Wonderful!"

"I know! Now all I've got to do is tell Glasdain…"

"Oh, let the old sod figure it out for himself!"

"Cleon!"

* * *

Lerant smiled at the young girls as they twirled the rope and jumped over it, making their way slowly down the hall as they did so. Two boys kicked a ball about and teenage boy and girl sat watching them in amusement, their arms wrapped around each other. There was a loud crash from upstairs, and Lerant groaned Taking the stairs two at a time, he ran up to the source of the noise.

He saw two young boys with wooden duelling swords in their hands, looking bashfully at him and gesturing at a wooden chair that lay in three pieces on the floor.

"We're sorry, my Lord," the eldest told him.

Lerant sighed and picked the pieces up. It was beyond repair. "Look, it's no problem. Just don't fence inside again. If you want to play with swords that badly, go to the duelling courts."

"But we couldn't, my Lord. They're only for the use of the nobles!" the youngest protested.

Lerant raised an eyebrow. "Well I say you can use them. Please use them, I'd quite like the rest of my house to stay in one piece." He threw the chair pieces at them. "Go and put these in the wood storage sheds and then go down to the practise courts and finish your match." He smiled, ruffled the blond-haired one and walked down to his rooms.

As he hung his jacket up on a stand, Liam appeared in the doorway between the room Lerant was in and his bedroom.

"Hey," Liam said quietly, watching his brother.

Lerant turned and grinned. "Hey. What brings you here?"

Liam shrugged. "Just came to see you." He handed Lerant a sealed envelope that bore the Mindelan crest. "Your lady has been writing to you again."

Lerant laughed. "She's my friend!" He took the letter off of his brother and slid his belt knife under the green seal.

_Lerant,_

_Surely you know me better than that? I would never do such a thing!_

_So, how are things at Eldorne? Are you going to have the workers to plant the crops? If you don't, I'm sure you could request the King's help. There's a Rider group staying at Tirragen, they'd be able to come over and help._

_My Lord Glasdain is still working me as hard as ever – still treating me like a menial servant and giving me the most basic of jobs. It has, however, given me plenty of time to catch up with friends such as Neal – Dom's cousin – and my brother's squire Cleon._

_I have good news! Having been given a final check-up, I'm back off to the border to find the Own. I'm writing this whilst sitting in the courtyard waiting for my brother and the fifteen other knights that make up his squad._

_Miss you,_

_Kel_

Having read the letter through twice, Lerant looked up at his brother and with a knowing grin, handed it over.

As Liam scanned quickly through it, Lerant collapsed onto his bed and stretched out, staring at the ceiling. It was nice to hear from Kel – although he wished that she had different news. He knew she was perfectly capable of defending herself, but he would still worry.

Liam interrupted his reverie. "You know, you ought to go back. Go join the Own again, I know you miss it – and her."

Lerant didn't dignify the comment with a response, but instead rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm serious," Liam told him. "I can do fine here on my own. You know I can!"

Lerant turned with a kindly smile on his face to his younger brother. "I know you can, but I don't want to take any chances!" He jumped up off of the bed and reached for his riding boots. "Now, do you fancy going for a ride before dinner?"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, yeah…it's kinda been a long time, but be pleased with me, no matter how short this was, I still updated! And I've another one and a half chapters written, so it shouldn't take as long to get an update this time.**

**Actually, random question, but has anyone but me noticed that the '13' from the end of my screen name has disappeared?**

**Hannah**

**psycholioness(13, it has a 13 on the end, I tell you!)**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Summer had definitely come, Lerant thought to himself as he sat atop his horse gazing out across the valley that Eldorne lay in. Dismounting, he walked over to a large rock and sat down. He could hear distant shouts as children played in the village. On the opposite hillside, he could see a young boy and his older sister playing whilst they minded the sheep and a dog running in rings around their feet.

Lerant – who had turned seventeen only days earlier – shrugged his jacket off, showing arms tanned brown by long hours out riding in the summer sun. He found himself having less and less to do with the running of the fief as it began to handle itself under the steady guidance and watchful eye of Liam. He had turned out to be surprisingly adept at running a fief, he learnt quickly and eagerly, but most of all, he loved the people, and the people – even though Cynthia would always be first in their hearts – loved Liam. Lerant tilted his head to one side as he considered things. His life seemed so slow and relaxed, it wasn't something he was used to, nor did he particularly enjoy it. Life in the Own had been a challenge: each day was different and there was something good about serving his country. Running the fief and getting it through the hard winter months after his sister's death had been a massive challenge and he and Liam had succeeded. Now…now he spent his days riding and walking, doing things that a pampered younger son did. It wasn't the sort of life that was suited him.

Sighing because there was nothing that he could do about it, Lerant stood and ran up to his horse, jumping straight from the ground to the saddle for the sheer challenge of it. Nudging his horse into a slow walk, he started on the path down the hillside and towards the Eldorne Manor.

Watching his brother's melancholy look as he picked at his food during dinner in Lerant's study, Liam cleared his throat.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He knew his brother wasn't suited to running a fief and that he missed the life of the Own but he hadn't expected it to get him this down and depressed about it.

Lerant looked up, surprise registering on his face. "Yeah, sure, I'm fine."

Liam stared at him in disbelief. "Sure you are," he replied sarcastically. "What's wrong?"

"Drop it," Lerant replied, with almost a hint of amusement in his voice. "Just go and find Leila or someone."

Leila was the village headman's daughter – a pretty little thing with dark blonde hair and wide blue eyes that held a trace of mischief and always lit up when Liam got near, which he liked to do often. When her father was gone, there was no doubt that she would make a good headwoman; she was kind, listened to people and put across ideas in such a way that made the person she was suggesting it to feel that they had come up with it.

Liam laughed and stood up, pushing his chair away from the table. "Fine, I will. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Lerant was sitting at his desk, gazing out of his window at the setting sun. He was in the middle of penning at long letter to Kel, describing all the ins and outs of life at Eldorne and attempting to make it sound as interesting as possible. He was part way through describing the latest child in the village when his bedroom door burst open. 

Liam ran in, his face shining with joy and shouting something at Lerant with such enthusiasm that he couldn't make out what he was saying. Grabbing hold of his shoulders, Lerant forced Liam to sit down and then he put a finger to his lips.

"Now," Lerant said when Liam had stopped. "What were you trying to tell me?"

"I'mgettingmarried!" Liam garbled and jumped up again, continuing his merry dance around the room.

"What?" Lerant demanded, wondering if he'd heard right.

"We're getting married, me and Leila!"

"I…I…" Lerant started. "Congratulations!" He swept his brother up in a massive hug and then Liam swung him around and pulled him into his dance. Laughing with joy for his brother, Lerant danced and jumped.

A few minutes later, doubled over and pausing for breath, Lerant asked, "When was this decided?"

"I asked her father's permission last week, and I just asked her now," Liam replied. "We thought we'd get married next spring, so you'll have to make sure that you get leave from the King's Own to come back for the wedding, and bring Kel with you."

"Leave?" Lerant asked in surprise.

"Well…I thought that…" Liam looked uncertain now. "I thought that seeing as I'll Leila to help me run the fief and you know that she'll do a good job, I thought that you'd go back to the King's Own. I'm not trying to get rid of you, honest, I just thought that you'd be happier there."

"Are you sure you're not trying to get rid of me?" Lerant asked with a wide grin on his face.

"Well…" Liam looked down at the wooden floor and scuffed his shoes in a pretty good imitation of a young boy caught somewhere where he isn't meant to be. Then he looked up at his brother and they both burst out laughing.

"Thank-you," Lerant said, touching his brother on the shoulder.

* * *

"You sure you've got everything?" Liam asked as he and Leila stood in the courtyard with Lerant. 

"After all, that does look like a very small bag…" Leila said, eyeing his travel bags hanging off of his mount.

Lerant laughed. "I'm sure I've got everything. I only need enough food until I catch up with my Company and I've got all my clothes and weapons."

"Do you know where the Third Company are?" Liam asked as Lerant hugged Leila and then turned to him.

"Last time I heard from Dom, they were on the Scanran border, guarding a fort. I'll head there and hopefully they should be there, if they're not, someone there will know where they went." Lerant hugged his brother and slapped him on the back. "Take care." He turned and mounted up, pulling the lead reins for his spare horse into his hands.

"You take care," Liam told him. "You're the one who's going to be fighting those Scanrans."

"Just make sure you stay alive for long enough to make it our wedding. We'll be most offended if you don't come," Leila added.

"And bring Kel with you. I want to meet her," Liam ordered.

"Alright, alright!" Lerant replied. Bending down to hug his brother and Leila again, he smiled. He was going back to the Own! "I'll write and I promise I will come to your wedding and bring Kel if I can. Now, I've got to be going."

Minutes later, he was cantering down the road that led out of Eldorne and east to the border.

* * *

As twilight drew in, Inness drew the small group to a halt and they began to set up camp. 

"Whose turn is it to cook?" Cleon asked as he wrestled with a tent pole.

"Yours!" came the reply from one of knights.

"It was mine yesterday!" Cleon protested. "And come to think of it, it was mine the day before that as well. How on earth does this cooking rota work anyway?"

Kel smothered a giggle. Cleon, it seemed, could be exceptionally slow. Within days of starting out, the rest of the patrol of knights had worked out the strange rota, but Cleon seemed to have trouble grasping it.

"Oh," Inness replied with mock sincerity in his tone. "I'm sure it's too hard for you to understand."

Cleon pulled a face at his knightmaster. "You haven't cooked once! Kel's only cooked twice and the rest have hardly done their fair share! How come it's always me who does the cooking?"

"Trust me Cleon, it's too complex for you to understand!" Fein – one of the elder knights and a cousin to Cleon – told him condescendingly.

Cleon snorted, but turned to light a fire anyway.

* * *

Dawn was just breaking as the knights, their squires and Kel were sitting around the fire. 

"Whose turn is it to cook?" Cleon asked and looked bemused when the rest of the men around the fire burst out in laughter.

"Cleon," Kel told him. "I think – if I'm right – it's your turn to cook."

"My turn?" Cleon asked in a resigned tone. "It would be, wouldn't it?" Suddenly he turned on Fein in suspicion. "You worked out this rota…are you trying to get even with me for something?"

Fein shook his head. "Of course not. If I wanted to get even with out for anything, I'd whip you in a weapons contest – at least you'd learn something that way!"

Cleon sighed and proceeded to rummage through the saddlebags for rations for breakfast.

* * *

Kel was sitting on Magewhisper, shielding her hazel eyes from the glaring sun. Cleon was sitting next to her on top of his huge war mount, doing the same thing. 

"It's curséd bright, isn't it?" Cleon complained. His face was the same shade of red as his hair and his arms were peeling from spending so long in the sun.

Kel nodded. "It's a right nuisance. It's just in the wrong place!"

"I just hope no one tries to attack us from the front," Inness said with a worried tone to his voice. "We wouldn't be able to see them coming until it is too late."

"But what's the chance of them getting past the forts? We're only a day or so from them, there'll be patrols coming out here regularly," Fein pointed out.

"That's still not going to make me relax." Inness ran a hand through his hair, and Kel bit her lip. She knew that Inness was never usually this worried, but having his younger sister with him made him so cautious that it was a miracle that they'd actually got out of the palace walls.

Cleon seemed to sense this, and he'd done his best to reassure his knightmaster that he would look after Kel and that she was capable of looking after herself.

"Rider ahead," Fein's squire commented calmly, pointing to the figure approaching them.

"Arm up," Inness ordered.

"My Lord, I know it's not my place to say," Cleon started, "but don't you think this is a little extreme? There is one man there, he's not even going at any speed. He's ambling along and I hardly think he poses a threat."

Fein nodded in agreement. "For once, I agree with you, cousin. Kel," he turned to face her. "Why don't you ride ahead and see what he wants?"

Kel nodded and urged Magewhisper into a trot, not looking back at Inness. He wouldn't be happy, but he had to learn that she could handle herself. As the rider got closer, Kel examined him closer. From what she could make out against the sun's glare, he was wearing dark clothes and was male, fairly tall and had a second horse on a lead rein.

"Kel!" the rider yelled and kicked his horse into a canter.

"Lerant?" Kel asked in surprise before jumping off of her horse and running to meet him.

He dismounted before his horse had come to a stop and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, gripping her so tightly that she struggled to breath. He released her and held her at arm length. "It's you!"

Kel laughed. "Of course it's me, silly! Or is there someone roaming the country that looks like me?"

Lerant nodded earnestly. "Uh huh! Only she's slightly smaller!" He swept her up in a hug again and Kel let herself rest her head on his shoulder.

"What's going on here then?" Inness asked as the rest of the knights reached them.

Lerant turned so he could see who was speaking and draped his arm over Kel's shoulder. "My Lords," he said, bowing to the group.

"This is Lerant of Eldorne, a close friend," Kel told her brother. "Lerant, this is my brother Inness and his squire and my friend Cleon, Sir Fein – Cleon's cousin and my brother's second." One by one, she introduced her travelling companions to Lerant, and then turned back to him. "So what in the name of Mithros are you doing here? I thought you were looking after Eldorne."

"I was," Lerant replied. "But it started to manage itself and my brother's getting married so he has help running the fief. He told me to come back."

"I'm glad he did," Kel commented. "But why are you riding this way? I thought the Own were on the Scanran border."

"They were. A troop of knights took over there. They're headed down to the southern coast, via the Tusaine border," Lerant explained.

Kel nodded her understanding, but Fein's new squire asked, "Well why are you coming this way then? It's quicker to just head south along the border."

"It's also more dangerous for a single rider," Lerant replied patiently. "I don't fancy getting ambushed by Scanran raiders just because I wanted to take a short cut." He mounted up, and Kel did the same. She guided Magewhisper over to where Inness sat atop of his mount.

"I'll join Lerant," she told him. "So I guess I'll be leaving you here."

He nodded and leant out of his saddle to hug her. "Be careful. Do you need any rations?"

Kel shook her head. "I've plenty and I can always hunt."

She shook hands with the rest of the men in the squad and hugged Cleon. As she stepped back, she whispered in his ear, "Tonight, don't ask who's doing the cooking. Just wait. The rule is: If you ask who's cooking, it's you."

Cleon gave a short bark of laughter. "Sounds like the sort of thing Fein would do," he replied in hushed tones. "Thanks for the warning. Take care."

"You too." Kel wheeled Magewhisper around, attached Emerald's reins to Lerant's spare horse and the two of them started back in the direction she had come at a gentle trot.

Kel turned around in her saddle to wave to her brother until they disappeared over the horizon line, and then she turned to face Lerant with a wide grin on her face. "I missed you," she said simply. "It just wasn't the same playing tricks on Joren without you."

Lerant laughed. "So, have you come up with any good ones in the time you spent lazing at the palace?"

"Lazing?" Kel demanded. "I'll have you know that working for Glasdain was not 'lazing'! And I spent plenty of time practising my weapons work with the pages and some of the squires."

Lerant chuckled at her reaction. "I was only joking! So, tricks?"

"Stop!" Kel ordered, holding up a hand. "Do you hear that?"

They were nearing Drell Falls, the place where the war between Tortall and Tusaine had been fought years previously when King Jonathan was a young knight. Over the roaring of the waterfall, Lerant struggled to hear what it was that Kel could obviously hear. Then an anguished scream pierced the air and the sounds of the clashing of swords became more obvious.

"Do you think that's the Third?" Lerant asked and Kel shrugged. "Well, let's find out then." He dismounted and Kel followed suit. Together, gripping their sword hilts, they crept over to the edge of the precipice and stared down below. The blue and white of the Third Company of the King's Own guard moved among the rag-a-tag clothing of border raiders. "It's them," Lerant stated.

"Do you want to go join the fun?" Kel asked with a grin on her face.

Lerant smiled back. "Certainly, Keladry. After you," he bowed and then they sprinted back to their horses, and guided them around to the other side of the valley where they could ride directly down into the battle.

* * *

After the battle, Dom, covered in blood that Kel hoped wasn't his, ran up to her and hugged her tight. "You're back then?" 

Whilst she knelt to clean her sword, Kel nodded. "Yeah. I did send a messenger to the fort, but you'd probably moved on before it arrived."

"It's good to see you again," Dom told her. "Heard from Lerant at all?"

Kel turned and regarded him strangely. "What do you mean? He's here."

Dom turned and surveyed the men around them. "Kel, he isn't. Look for yourself."

Biting her lip, Kel rose from the ground and looked around. Sure enough, just as Dom had said, he wasn't there. He was the only man unaccounted for – the rest were all there. "Lerant?" she yelled as she strode over dead bodies. "Lerant?"

Dom joined her. "Eldorne? Where in the name of Mithros are you?"

Suddenly Kel saw a body clothed in blue and white lying motionless on the muddy ground, an arrow protruding from his chest. "Lerant!" she screeched as she ran over to him. Dropping to her knees by his side, she quickly checked for a pulse.

"Alive?" Dom asked in worried tones.

Kel nodded and looked around frantically for Aiden. "Aiden! Someone get Aiden!"

"He's on the other side of the valley. One of the squads was caught out there, some are injured," Zakit told her as he threw a body over his shoulder and walked over to the large pit that was being dug.

"Oh Mithros…" Kel breathed and sat back on her heels. She knew nothing about healing or treating battle injuries such as arrow wounds. She could take the arrow out but for all she knew it could make it worse, on the other hand, leaving it in could be killing him.

"Out of the way," Dom ordered gruffly, pushing Kel to the ground. He ripped Lerant's shirt off and started to tear it into strips. "Judging by the lack of copious amounts of blood, the arrow missed his heart, and I don't think it's gone deep enough to puncture a lung, so…" Dom stood and placed one foot on either side of Lerant's chest and then yanked on the arrow shaft, pulling the arrow out in one jerky movement. Then he wrapped the strips tightly around his chest, covering the hole. "That should do for now, but we really need to get Aiden to see to him, although I'm reluctant to move him."

Kel stood and called for Magewhisper. As her horse walked up and head butted her, Kel said, "I'll go get Aiden, you stay here with him."

Dom shook his head. "Magewhisper's been riding for days. My horse will be faster." He grabbed his horse's reins and swung himself into the saddle. "You stay here. I'll be back with Aiden as soon as possible."

Kel nodded and sank back to the floor with Lerant. She knelt there, holding his hand in hers, sending up a prayer to Mithros that Lerant would be okay. When she looked up a few minutes later, Raoul was standing over her.

"Mithros!" he breathed. "I didn't realise that arrow hit him…" he trailed off as he examined the wound. "Nasty."

Kel felt a sudden rage towards her Commander. There was the possibility that Lerant could have been injured and Raoul didn't think to check? How could he? Lerant would have stopped to check that Raoul was uninjured, but Raoul couldn't even pay the same courtesy? Gritting her teeth, Kel forced herself to imagine a lake and calm down – it was ridiculous for him to stop in the middle of a battle situation and even more ridiculous that she had expected him to. _But you would have stopped for him_, a nagging voice in her mind said.

"What happened?" a breathless voice demanded as Aiden slid out of his saddle and half-ran, half-loped over towards them.

"He took an arrow for me," Raoul told him. "There was a Tusainian archer hidden in one of the trees. I hadn't realised that the arrow had hit him, I thought it glanced off of his shield."

Aiden didn't reply, but he was already surrounded by an aura of magic as he healed Lerant. Kel sat watching him intently, and she was the first to notice the unsteadiness in his hands and the paleness of his skin.

"Aiden, you'll faint," she told him warningly. "You're going to overreach yourself."

Aiden didn't seem to hear her, and he kept staring at the wound and feeding more of his Gift into it.

"What in the name of Mithros is he doing?" the healer from Flyn's squad demanded as he ran over with Joren in tow. Shoving Aiden violently out of the way, he placed his hands on Lerant's chest and the bleeding stopped. "It's okay to move him now. He'll be fine, it'll just take him a few weeks to get back to his usual strength." He turned on Aiden. "What the heck do you think you were doing? You ought to know better to continue to heal when you have that little energy left!"

Aiden's only reply was to fall down onto his back with a thump as he blacked out.

* * *

"I'm fine, honestly!" Lerant protested as Kel shoved another bowl of stew under his nose. 

"Aiden said you needed to eat to keep your strength up," Kel replied stubbornly.

"I'm sure he didn't mean I had to eat three bowls of stew," Lerant pointed out calmly. Only days after receiving his wound, he was already looking much healthier and he had more colour in his cheeks and his old personality back.

Kel didn't say anything, but she stood there, her hands on her hips and tapped her foot until he started to spoon the stew into his mouth. "Better," she said in the sort of tone that one would use to praise a five-year-old.

"I know you're worried about him, but I don't think that's any reason to mother him to death!" Qasim told her. "I'm sure he'll explode if you force much more stew into him…" he trailed off as Kel turned to glare at him. "Alright," he said, stepping away and holding his hands up in mock surrender, "Mother away."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry! I'm just so sorry! I had this written well before I even posted the last chapter…but I kinda forgot to post it and I just came across it today…SORRY! I really am! Hopefully as this is the hols for me, I should be able to get more written – although I'm not promising anything because you must know what I'm like…very forgetful and great at procrastinating…**

** Hannah**

**PsychoLioness**** I've given up on the 13 and am too lazy to change it back…**

**Does anyone else think I'm getting slightly too fond of the line break things? Does it make my writing too bitty?**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen  
**

****

Kel was lying stretched out, her head on Lerant's chest and his hand resting on her shoulder. Their swords lay abandoned a few metres away on a grassy knoll. It was a pleasant day; the sun was shining but not so brightly it hurt and the sky was completely blue – not a cloud in sight. The temperature was high, as it had been consistently for the past few weeks and it was very humid. If there had been clouds in the sky, Kel would have said it was thunderstorm weather – something that would have been welcomed by the entire Third Company. Kel had lost count of the number of disputes settled through sword duels as tempers got shorter with the hotter weather.

"You know," Lerant said breathing heavily. "That, I swear, is the last time I give you a sword lesson in this weather. Find me when it's snowing."

If the weather hadn't made her feel so lethargic, Kel would have raised her head to look at him, instead she stared up at the spotless sky as she addressed him. "I think that would wise."

They fell back into a companionable silence as they dozed under the hot autumn sun, only to be woken by footsteps approaching.

"Awwww! What a sweet picture you make!" Dom said mockingly as he stared down at them.

Lerant groaned. "If I had the energy, I'd protest, but—"

"It's just too hot," Dom and Kel chorused, echoing a phrase that was regularly heard of the Third Company's camp, just south of the Great Road East.

Lerant nodded with half a grin on his face. "Yes, far too hot." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, then opened one eye and looked straight at Dom, "but I'll make sure you pay for that comment when I have the energy."

"Make me pay, eh?"

Lerant half sat up, making Kel roll off onto the grass. He sat staring at Dom, resting on his elbows. "Um…yeah, I'll make you pay," he replied unconvincingly.

Dom laughed and turned to Kel. Throwing three envelopes at her, he told her, "messengers just delivered the post." He turned to Lerant and threw two in his direction. "And a few for you. Enjoy." He grinned at them and strolled away, one hand in a pocket and the other fiddling with the collar to his shirt.

Kel heaved herself up off of the grass to retrieve the parchment envelopes that had landed a few feet from her, and ripped open the first one. Turning it straight over and checking the name at the end, she smiled as she saw Cleon's messy signature. It began _'Dearest Kel, the flower of my eye,'_ and went on in a similar fashion for the entire letter, informing her of her brother's idiocy concerning matters of getting up early and his Cleon's new-found and intense dislike for the stale bread that they were living on because the baker at the fort had suddenly died the week previously. After he signed his name, he added a small postscript saying _'Do you like the new writing style? My Lord says it makes me sound like some good-for-naught pampered noble's son who couldn't wield a sword to save his life. It isn't that bad, is it?'_ Sniggering at Cleon's foolishness, Kel put his letter aside, and picked up one from her parents that bore the crest of Mindelan. They had little to say other than one of village women had given birth to triplets and Conal's old dog had died a few weeks previous. Kel felt very little emotion at either pieces of news; she didn't know the woman in question and she had never felt any great attachment to Conal's grumpy and snappy dog. The third letter was obviously from Neal, Kel could have recognised his messy, slightly slanted handwriting anywhere. Ripping it open quickly, eager to hear of his latest exploits, Kel was slightly surprised to see the obvious formality of the letter. The entire thing was very unlike Neal; there were no rhetorical questions or quirky turns-of-phrase. It was most odd, and it puzzled Kel until the final paragraph where all was explained. Lady Alanna had taken Neal on as her squire. He said he was really sorry, but his father thought it was an excellent placement for him as it would teach him so much more about healing. He apologised again and signed his name without the usual flourish on the 'l'.

Kel threw the letter onto the grass and fell backwards, placing her hands behind her head and staring up into the cloudless sky. She was surprised when the first emotion that she could put a name to was pity – Neal would have an interesting time with Lady Alanna, she would be a strict taskmistress for him and probably wouldn't tolerate the cheekiness that Neal was so famous for. Kel thought that she should feel some sort of sadness that Neal had managed to achieve the dream that Kel had worked for, but she didn't; instead all she felt was a twinge of regret that she hadn't managed to make it to a squire.

Shaking thoughts of regret out of her head, Kel turned to Lerant. "Any word from Liam?"

Lerant nodded. "Yeah. He doesn't have much to say – just things about the running of the village. Did you hear from Neal?"

Kel handed him the letter and waited for him to read it.

"It doesn't bother you?" Lerant asked with a slight air of surprise.

Kel shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I mean…she seemed nice enough when we hunted bandits with her, but she had such a temper. The real Lady Alanna isn't the same Lady Alanna I idolised as a child and dreamed of being squire to."

Lerant laughed shortly. "Yes, she is slightly different close up, isn't she?" He looked up at her. "I can't imagine Neal will enjoy his first few months with Lady Alanna - from what I remember of him he had quite a cheeky tongue."

Kel nodded. "It'd be interesting."

Later, when the Third Company were sitting around the fire eating, Kel told Dom about his cousin's new knightmistress.

When he heard, Dom grinned widely and said with a wicked glint in his eyes, "I'd pay to see the two of them when Neal is being pert!"

* * *

"What on earth are you doing?" Joren asked sharply as he scowled at her.

Kel sighed. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm setting a trap." She continued to hammer the spike through the thin yet strong rope.

"Why?" Joren demanded.

Kel set down her hammer and turned to look at him. He stood silhouetted on the cliff-edge with the rising sun behind him – creating the sort of picture that made Kel wish she was good at drawing. None of his features could be seen, but that only made him look more mysterious and the landscape behind him was stunning; mists rolled off of the land and the sky was lit up in shades pink and oranges that Kel couldn't even find words for. "Because there are two of us and an entire bluff to defend." She struggled to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Over the past three days that they had been stationed on the bluff he had questioned her every move. Whilst Kel knew that as the younger warrior she had to defer to him, she hated him doubting everything she did. Even when she did something as simple as getting out her lunch to eat it, he questioned the wisdom of eating lunch yet. He made her want to strangle him. _Perhaps whilst I'm strangling people, I could strangle Dom at the same time._ She could hardly believe her ears when Dom had told her that he was sending her up the bluff with Joren. When she dared to ask for a reason, Dom had told her that she needed to show Flyn that she was capable of working with Joren. Apparently Flyn had been complaining that Kel was creating a 'rift' in the company that would be 'unrepairable' and Dom was trying to prove him wrong.

Joren didn't reply to her answer, but instead pulled his wineskin from his belt and seemed to drain at least half of it. In her head, Kel hoped that if it was some form of alcohol in there that Joren had had the good sense to water it down. Whilst it was highly unlikely that they would even see any of the action, Kel still didn't want to risk being left alone to fight the enemy while Joren slept off the effects of having had too much to drink. Kel sighed at herself, she was being ridiculous and she knew it. Although she may not get along well with Joren, she had hoped that she had the sense not allow her prejudices to get in the way – as they were now. Joren was a good warrior and he wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Turning, she picked up her hammer and another spike. Stretching out the rope at knee-height across the trail, she hammered the final end in. Any of the enemy who made it this far would be brought falling down the cliff.

Keeping a careful grip on her glaive, Kel lowered herself the six feet down to where they had kept watch on the previous days. With a small yawn she settled down on the floor just behind a large boulder. A few minutes later she was joined by Joren, and they sat in silence, weapons at the ready.

When the sound of feet clattered along the trail above, Kel stood up and moved rapidly out from behind the boulder and stood looking up at the trail above. Suddenly she smelt smoke and she turned to see what was happening.

"Mindelan!" Joren yelled as jumped up from his position and came hurtling towards her. He dived at her and they both flew a few feet across the ledge, landing in a heap only inches from the edge.

"What do you think you were doing?" Kel demanded as soon as she had her breath back. Just as she asked this, there was a thud and Kel spun around, getting to her feet at the same time. Her eyes widened as she saw a centaur with a small cutlass in his hand trying to untangle himself from the rope that she had put in place that morning. He was standing within inches of where she had been standing only moments earlier. "Thanks," Kel told Joren as she readjusted the position of her hands on her glaive.

Joren ignored her thanks and charged at the centaur, holding his sword firmly in his right hand and a shield in his left. Just as he was about to strike the centaur's back, Kel heard a whimper and cried out in alarm. Kel's cry made Joren falter and he saw the same thing Kel had. A small child was strapped to the centaur's back.

Joren cursed loudly and explicitly, then attempted to untie the rope to free the child. "Are you going to help or are you just going to stand there gaping?" he demanded roughly of Kel.

This time Kel didn't resent him taking control of the situation and ordering her around. This was a battle situation, and he had the most experience – something that made him her superior here. She ran around the centaur so that she was facing him, and she raised her glaive up and brought it hurtling down towards his head. At the last second, the centaur seemed to see her and her glaive and easily deflected her blow. He turned violently, throwing Joren to the floor.

"Oi!" Kel yelled, hoping to give Joren more time to rescue the toddler. "Over here!" She spun her glaive in the air and stepped forwards, bringing it around in a large sweep aimed at his stomach. Again her blow was deflected and the centaur added one of his own, forcing her to step quickly back. She watched the centaur's cutlass carefully, whilst keeping an eye on Joren as she hastily tried to saw through the rope holding the child with a pocket knife. Sighing – he had a sword in his hand and he didn't think to use it? – Kel side-stepped the centaur and brought her glaive in a sweeping motion along the centaur's back, creating a deep cut and releasing the child from its ropes. Joren caught the child in his arms and turned to climb up the bluff and leave the child in a safe place.

Kel turned her attention back to the centaur whose face was screwed up in pain and was trying to move his left arm with little success; Kel must have cut a muscle when she sliced his back. With a curse, he leapt at her, wielding his cutlass expertly. She brought her glaive up to meet him, and he caused a long, deep cut along her knuckles. Ignoring the pain, Kel angled her glaive and rammed the iron end of the glaive into the centaur's stomach. As the centaur gasped in pain, Kel raised her glaive blade to his neck. Her hands shaking, she demanded of the centaur, "Yield for the Crown's Mercy!"

Even as the centaur was cursing his reply, he kicked out hard and as his legs came into contact with her stomach, she couldn't help but let out a yelp. She staggered back, spinning around slightly as she did so. She was vaguely aware of the sound of stones falling and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the cutlass descending on her head. As she turned, she heard the clash of metal on metal and had a bundle shoved into her arms by Joren.

"Dom'll have my head if I let either you or the child get hurt," Joren grunted as he defended yet another blow from the centaur. His cheek was cut with grit stuck in the blood – presumably from where he had slid down the side of the bluff in an effort to save her from the centaur's blow to her head. "So keep out of the way," he finished as he spun away and pulled off a complicated, risky sword trick with almost perfect style. Kel had to admire his sword work, it really was eye-catching being both practical, the best way of doing things, and had a flourish and slickness to it that made it a pleasure to watch.

"Well?" Joren demanded when she failed to move.

Without wasting words, Kel picked her glaive up from the ground, adjusted the child in her arms, and using the iron-shod butt of her glaive to help, she picked her way half way up the bluff and then sat. The little girl crawled out of Kel's arms and looked up at her, a strange trust showing in her wide brown eyes. She wrapped her stubby little arms around Kel and laid her head on her legs. Kel removed her tunic and laid it gently across the child as it fell to sleep with Kel gently stroking her unruly hair.

As Kel watched Joren fighting the centaur, she pondered his behaviour. He had saved her, twice now – once from injury and the other from death. That wasn't the sort of Joren she had known in her first year as a page – he would have allowed her to die and then relied on his charm and family name to alleviate any of the blame that fell onto him. Yet he hadn't allowed her to be injured. Kel sighed. It just made no sense. She knew from Dom that Joren was under strict orders to be polite to her and treat her as he would any of the other members of the company, but why would he obey those orders when he had the chance not to? No one could blame him for her death, not if it happened in battle – that was a situation that he could not change at all and consequently no blame would fall upon him. Raoul must have said something to Joren, but what? Kel didn't believe for one minute that his reason for saving her was the one that he had given, that Dom would 'have his head' if she got hurt. Whilst it was true that Dom would not be happy with him, he also knew that death in battle was an unavoidable occurrence. So what was Joren's motive?

There was a curse and a shriek, followed closely by a gargle, and then silence. As Kel strained to listen – she was unable to see the area where the fight had moved to – her ears gradually started to pick the sound of laboured breathing. Kel tensed. Was that Joren or the centaur? She was unwilling to call out to Joren because if it was the centaur, it would only give away her position. There was the sound of scrabbling, and Kel stiffened. Could this be the centaur attempting to climb the bluff to find her and the child? Kel reached for her glaive, and shook the child awake.

"Hide over there," Kel whispered, pointing to a stout bush that the child should fit behind. As the hazel-haired girl trotted away, Kel readied her glaive and waited for the centaur.

There was more scrabbling and a muttered curse, then a groan. "Mindelan, do you think I can have a hand?" There was a tone of self-mockery in his voice; he was obviously disgusted at himself for having to ask the _Girl_ for help.

Kel breathed a sigh of relief, and placed her glaive on the floor. She edged towards the bluff edge, and peered over, looking for Joren. When she saw him, she gasped. There was a trickle of blood running from his temple, and his left hand was dripping with copious amounts of blood. Below his knees, his trousers were in shreds and he had a substantial cut starting at the knee of his left leg and it ran across both legs down to his ankle on the right leg.

"Oh stop acting like that and help me up!" Joren told her with a glare.

Laying on her front, Kel reached down to him, grabbing one of his hands in both of hers, then she pulled upwards as Joren scrabbled with his feet trying to push himself up with little luck. Slowly, Kel heaved him upwards, until he was lying next to her on the ledge, panting heavily.

Calling to the child, Kel retrieved her tunic from her, and then in a no-nonsense tone told Joren to sit up so that she could wrap up his head and stop the bleeding. He didn't argue as she tore her tunic in half and wrapped his blood-soaked hair and head in it and then turned her attentions to his hand. He gritted his teeth, but said nothing, as she bandaged it as tightly as she dared.

The child watched the goings-on with wide-eyed innocence and when Kel had finished and Joren was sitting against the buff, eyes closed and jaw clenched, she tottered over to him.

"Sore hand," she told him, pointing at the bandages.

Joren regarded her oddly.

The child sat down next to him, and lent on him. Kel saw him fight back a gasp as the child touched injuries he wasn't previously aware of. "I think you might be hurting him," Kel explained to the child. "Why don't you come and sit here where you can see the valley?"

The child grinned and half-crawled, half-walked over to the edge of the ledge, and sat playing with the grass growing by her and looking at the battle going on below.

Kel turned and walked over to where Joren was sitting. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Joren snapped without opening his eyes.

Kel opened her mouth, but Joren beat her to it. "And don't give me any drivel about why did I save you. Don't deny it, I know you were about to, that's just the sort of thing that a _girl_ like you would do. I only did what I did because if I didn't, that bloody Queenscove would accuse me of killing you – and there are enough morons around to believe him."

Kel half-smiled. That sounded so much more like Joren. "I wasn't going to say anything of the sort," she lied. "I was only going to ask if you felt up to moving. You really ought to see a healer for your head and certainly for your hand."

"You think I'm not aware of that?" Joren asked faintly. "Come on, get the child and we can go find Aiden." He stood, clutching at the bluff so as not to fall. He walked a few steps before sitting down abruptly only seconds before he passed out, landing on his back with a thud.

"Well, he's not going anywhere soon," Kel murmured as she and the child sat next to Joren, with their backs to the wall. The child fell asleep almost immediately, sucking her thumb and half-smiling. Kel fought to stay awake, after all, if any more enemies were caught by the traps she had set above, someone would need to be around to protect the child and the sleeping Joren. Soon though, Kel found her eyes closing and she accepted the sleep with a sigh of relief.

* * *

She awoke just as dusk fell, which by Kel's reckoning, was about six or so hours after Joren had collapsed. There was movement near by, and the sound of footsteps and hushed voices. A glance towards Joren told her that there was no chance of relying on him in the coming fight, and stood unsteadily to ready herself.

"Found them!" a voice whispered loudly from above, and seconds later, Zakit landed with a thud a few feet away from Kel, followed closely by Dom.

"Kel!" Zakit cried, and ran forwards to embrace her. "Are you okay?"

Kel nodded. "Fine, other than a few cuts on my hands and a gash down my side. Joren didn't do so well though," she told him, indicating the spot where Joren lay.

"Karrad!" Zakit yelled, naming one of the men in Dom's squad with a slight healing Gift.

"Is Aiden back at the camp?" Kel asked as Karrad scrambled down the rock, sending pebbles flying.

Dom nodded as he took Kel's hand and looked at the deep cuts on her knuckles. "Yes, there were a few men seriously injured and he's with them. What happened here?"

Kel grinned ruefully. "We got in a tussle with a centaur. He almost got the better of us. I got kicked in the stomach," as she said this, Dom sighed and told her to have it checked out by Aiden when they got back to camp. "We also picked up a child that the centaur had kidnapped." Kel pointed to where the girl lay still sleeping by Joren.

"Sir?" a voice asked of Dom from below, where the fight had taken place. "I've found a bag with the centaur – something in it's alive."

"Just bring it up, don't open it," Dom ordered. "You never know what might be in there, could be something really nasty."

Kerrad approached them, and told them, "we ought to get moving. Joren really ought to see Aiden as soon as is possible. His injuries are way beyond my treatment."

Dom nodded and he helped Kel to climb up the bluff, reaching the top just as the men devised a way of lifting Joren to the top. He turned to face Kel with a grin and said, "I'm glad you're safe, but we ought to get you back to camp. Lerant has been going spare since you failed to show up after the battle."

Kel grinned – that sounded like Lerant alright. She grimaced slightly at the pain in her stomach as she started to walk and also at the thought of the telling off she would get from him later when he realised how stupid she had been forgetting the hind legs of the centaur.

**A/N: I'm sure you guys know what I'm about to say: SORRY! Honestly. I'm going to bother making excuses, cos I'm sure you probably couldn't care, but I am sorry.**

**PsychoLioness**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

The sun's rays were reflected sharply back off of Raoul's shield, and Kel turned her eyes away. She looked back just in time to be treated to the sight of an armoured Joren flying through the air and landing with a hollow thud on the far side of the arena, his helmeted head smashing soundly off of the wooden fence. Joren stretched a weary hand to remove his helmet, and as Kel saw the expression on his face, she couldn't help but smile slightly – his mouth was set in a thin line, and he had a respectful, yet murderous look in his eyes. Kel couldn't blame him though, after having gone three rounds with Raoul even the most seasoned knights would have thrown their hands – if they could still move their arms – in the air and resigned from the match. As his squire, Joren didn't have that luxury, but Kel didn't think he would have taken it – he was inordinately stubborn.

"Still masquerading as a fighter, Lump?" a cold and cultured voice asked from behind her.

Kel turned, and saw Garvey sitting atop his mount, his brow wrinkled and nose turned up as he sneered disdainfully at her. She smiled to herself, and bowed to his knightmaster as he approached. She saw Garvey make a rude gesture in her direction, and followed his gaze to where Joren stood, watching the two of them.

"I would have thought by now that you would have shown her that fighting is a man's job and not one for a slut like her," Garvey commented to him.

To Kel's surprise – and presumably Garvey's – Joren just shrugged and turned back to Raoul. Kel saw Garvey's jaw and fists tighten at this, and he jumped from his horse and over the fence in one movement.

"Has she got you as well?" Garvey demanded almost angrily.

Joren sighed. "I have to work with her, Runnerspring, and it's not wise to make enemies of someone that I'll probably rely on to save my life one day – and I'd be an even bigger fool to do that under the eye of such a progressive as my Lord. Out of my way, I've got another few rounds to go yet." He pulled his helmet onto his head and swung into the saddle, leaving Garvey standing staring at the spot where Joren had stood. Garvey looked like he was about to spit in disgust, but he caught the watchful eye of his knightmaster and instead settled for an aggravated glare which turned to loathing when he looked at Kel.

"You've no right to fight among men – your squabbles should be limited to verbal arguments with your servants," he muttered to her as he vaulted smoothly over the fence and led his horse away to a different tilting area.

"Trouble?" Dom inquired as he walked up behind her.

She shook her head as Joren went flying again. "Not really."

"You could have fooled me," Dom replied with a slight grin on his face. He watched with something akin to admiration as Joren managed to avoid flying across the arena again. "He's a pretty good jouster," Dom commented as the pair squared the horses up for another run.

Kel nodded. "I suppose he is."

They stood, leaning on the fence, in companionable silence and watched as Joren was battered time and again, until Raoul called an end to the tilting.

"Well," Kel said to Dom, "that provided some amusement, but I'm off to find your cousin." She started to walk away, but a slightly feeble and hoarse call of her name caused her to turn around. She looked questioningly at Dom, who nodded to Joren.

"Mindelan, could you…could you take my horse to the stable please?" he asked hesitantly.

About to scoff in his face and walk off, Kel saw Dom's reproachful gaze and she sighed then nodded. "Sure."

* * *

The water felt gloriously cool against her chapped face and she resisted the urge to throw herself into the oasis and drink from it. There was a loud bellow followed by a splash, and Kel looked up quickly enough to see Lerant splutter as he surfaced in the pool. Standing on the edge, Dom and Zakit were laughing and Raoul stood a few metres away, watching their antics with the air of a father resigned to having his room messed up with his child's toys and drawings.

"Oh Mithros," Kel said to herself, shaking her head in amusement. "Did he fall or was he pushed?"

"He fell," a voice said from beside her, and Kel turned around with a start. She hadn't thought anyone was near enough to hear her talking to herself. It was Joren.

"How in the name of the Goddess did he manage that?" she asked with a smile, and then regretted it. This was Joren, he'd only use his answer as an opportunity to insult Lerant in some way, or if he was feeling clever enough, he'd insult her too.

"Well, Mindelan, you ought to bear in mind this is Eldorne we're talking about. He's a gift for managing things like this," he replied as he bent down to wash his face.

Kel paused for a moment, trying to find the hidden barb in there or a nasty jibe and finding none, she responded with, "True. A bit like the time that he forgot to look where was going and fell into the river at Queensview?"

Joren half smiled, and half smirked at the memory, and nodded. "Exactly like that time…" he hesitated and then continued, "Only, I think last time was funnier."

Kel chuckled. "Well, his face was quite a sight when he came out covered in river plants!"

Joren nodded. "And, you can't deny it, you'd quite like to be in that pool. It's hot enough for all of us to wish that we were in Lerant's shoes. He ought to enjoy it, I think it's the only time that it'll ever happen!" With that comment, he walked off to stand with Aiden, leaving Kel behind, staring at where he had been standing and wondering what trick he was setting her up for this time.

* * *

"Not good enough again Mindelan," Joren told her almost condescendingly as he placed her king in check-mate with a mere pawn.

Kel cursed for letting herself be beaten again, although she had to admit Joren appeared to have a flair for tactical and strategic games like chess. Perhaps that was what Lord Raoul had seen in him and was the reason that the commander had selected the blond-haired boy to be his squire. Riding with the Own gave Joren a unique chance to develop tactics and strategy with Raoul – one of the realm's leading commanders and tacticians – guiding him.

"How goes the game, Stonemountain?" Zahir asked as he walked into the tent.

The Own were staying in the desert, recruiting new fighters to train up to replace the ones they had lost over the past year, and were staying with Zahir's tribe before moving on next week. Zahir was staying the year out with his own tribe with his knightmaster, Sir Gerhart of Levin. Levin was an academic knight who was doing a study of the different dialects among the Bazhir tribes – which was the reason he had taken Zahir as his squire.

Kel was surprised to see that Zahir and Joren showed no signs of the friendship she had seen in the year she spent at the palace. They were civil to one another – and surprisingly, they were both civil to her. She'd half expected a torrent of rude words and tricks from Joren now that he was back with one of his old cohorts, but as yet, it hadn't happened.

"I won again," Joren informed Zahir with a slightly patronising smile in Kel's direction.

Zahir looked at Kel in askance as he gestured to the board. He was challenging her to a match.

Kel smiled ruefully and replied, "Thanks, but I think I'll decline. I've beaten enough for today." As she said it, Joren held up three fingers – the number of times he had beaten her.

With a grin and a nod, Zahir sat down in the chair that Kel had just vacated and began to reset the board. "Looks like I'll just have to beat you, Stonemountain."

As Joren and Zahir played, they talked and included Kel in their conversations.

"Oh, and his face, that was just priceless!" Joren said of the occasion when Neal had forgot to look where he was walking and had slipped on a wet floor, slid head first into a bucket of water, soaked himself through and continued sliding down the hallway until he came to an eventual stop at the feet of King Jonathan – much to his utter dismay, King Jon's amusement and to the entertainment of the pages.

Kel felt uncomfortable to be laughing at her best friend's misfortune, but she did have agree with Joren – Neal's face when he saw King Jonathan was priceless. And his stammered apology which was followed by the monarch's stony silence and icy nod only made it all the more amusing. One of the older pages had reported seeing King Jonathan with his Prime minister laughing uproariously a few corridors away. Neal was the only one of the pages who maintained that the two events were entirely unconnected.

Just as Joren was about to recount yet another of the more amusing stories from the palace – doubtless as Neal's expense – the tent flap opened to admit Lerant and Dom.

"If you're all quite finished being anti-social," Dom started.

Joren glared at him, and Lerant sniggered. Lerant had a theory that he had shared with Kel last night in a voice deliberately pitched to just reach Joren's ears. The blond haired squire was staying in the tent and away from most people for two reasons: one was that there were no women that interested him and nobody that was interested in his showing off [a theory that Kel thought a little cruel and secondly, he was afraid of getting sunburnt!

Dom ignored the glares and continued, "There are some horse races between us and the Bazhir. You coming?"

Kel rose to join them, and so did Zahir. Joren, however, remained seated.

"Come on then, let's go – the races will start soon," Lerant urged, being all too happy to leave Joren behind.

"You coming Stonemountain?" Dom enquired, and Joren shook his head.

Zahir smiled. "He's just afraid that I'll beat him." His voice made it clear that the statement was meant more as a jibe to get Joren to join in, rather than as a boast of his – Zahir's – own skills.

Joren shook his head vehemently. "I could beat you anytime I choose. I simply don't feel like racing today."

"Uh huh," Zahir replied with a disbelieving tone. "Sure you could!"

Kel didn't believe that Joren would fall for something so blatantly obvious as that, but either he did, or he actually felt like racing and just didn't want to admit to changing his mind. "I'll prove it to you then," he said as he stood.

* * *

He won.

That didn't surprise Kel, what did surprise her was the way he took the congratulations upon his victory. He didn't gloat, and what surprised her even more was that he didn't insult her or make a lot of the fact he had beaten her.

Zahir walked over to where she was standing watching some of the younger men challenge Joren to an archery match.

"He's a different person." Zahir commented. "When we were pages, he never would have talked to a Bazhir who was anything less than a headman."

Kel looked questioningly at Zahir. "And yet he talked to you?"

"I'm a headman's son. I suppose that's good enough for Joren. And you, I haven't heard him say a bad word about you all week!"

Kel just stared at Zahir, one eyebrow raised.

"Admittedly I haven't heard a good word either, but a few years ago he would have spent every spare minute slandering you."

"I don't think that he's had a change of heart," Kel said with a smile. "I think it's far more likely that he's realised that being rude to me is no way to keep in the commander's good graces."

"Whatever it is, it's chanced him for the better, and that can't be a bad thing, can it?"

"Depends on how you look at it," a voice said from behind them. Turning, Kel saw Raoul and he continued, "An outward chance in his behaviour is good for now, but what good is it in the long run unless he changes the way he thinks about those around him?"

"Why, my Lord?" Zahir asked. "Surely if the end result of the good behaviour is the same, it doesn't matter?"

Raoul smiled at Zahir. "It matters a great deal squire. Has Levin taught you nothing? The Chamber sorts those who will hinder the realm from those who will help it. I doubt Joren's current attitude would be considered helpful."

"So why did you take him on if you think he will fail?" Kel asked bluntly. Why he had chosen Joren of all the possible squires was a question that had always puzzled Kel.

"Call it instinct," Raoul replied and turned and walked away.

"Well that's certainly food for thought," Zahir said slowly as if still thinking over what Raoul had said.

Kel nodded in agreement, although she doubted that Raoul's words meant as much to her as they did to Zahir. After all, she no longer had to face the Chamber, but Zahir did.

* * *

"I just don't see why we have to run around looking after them! Surely they're not so incompetent that they can't do this sort of thing themselves?"

'This sort of thing' was hunting. The Third Company, along with the Commander and his squire were back at Haresfield helping out the village again. Raoul had divided up his men into groups. Some groups were chopping wood, some were fishing, and the group that Kel was in [separated from Lerant because he was much better at fishing were hunting.

They'd started hunting deer after lunch, and now it was dusk they were waiting for the rabbits to appear so that they could hunt those. And unfortunately for all concerned Joren had spent his free time obnoxiously airing his views on helping those less fortunate than himself. As Kel and the rest of the hunting group had found out, Joren didn't believe in helping anyone unless there was something in it for him. He was in a thoroughly objectionable mood today, and all those around him just wished that he would snap out of it.

Kel breathed in sharply as she felt a sudden jab in her ribs. She turned around, a glare on her face ready for whoever had poked her. It was Dom.

"What's gotten into him today?" he hissed nodding his head towards Joren. "I thought he'd turned nice!"

Kel shook her head. "He's obviously changed back!"

"Actually," another voice said. "I think he's just a tad grumpy from missed sleep." It was Raoul who was speaking, keeping one eye on Joren to check his squire couldn't hear him. "Some of the lads from Aiden's squad decided to settle a few old scores with some practical jokes last night. He was up until the early hours of the morning picking thorns out of his sleeping roll and his night clothes. And then he – and those around him which unfortunately included me – were woken an hour or so before dawn."

"How?" Dom dared to ask.

"Joren woke from the cold water that fell onto him, and the rest of us from his yells and from the laughter of the perpetrators!"

Kel tried not to laugh at the mental image of a soaked through Joren a few hours before dawn.

Dom grinned and he looked in Joren's direction with a Machiavellian glint in his eye. "I believe I may just go and talk to our friend over there!" He sauntered over to where Joren stood. Dom had his hands in his pockets and was whistling under his breath – a picture of perfect innocence. Most of Dom's squad would have run a mile at that look, but Joren obviously didn't know the mischief that usually followed that entirely innocent look.

But thankfully for Joren, he was spared his merciless fate by the soft call of "Rabbits!"

* * *

The soft light of dawn which spread over the camp and brought some of the smaller animals out of their shelter signalled the end of Kel's watch. She let out a yawn and stretched, then looked around the Third Company's campsite for signs of life. There were none. After having brought in enough meat in yesterday's hunt to last the village the winter, the village council decided to throw the Third Company a party. And this party had a lot of ale. The only people not drinking by Kel's estimation were those taking one of the night watches and Raoul. Joren had been seen by Lerant with ale in his hands, but no one could see any evidence of effects of him having drunk too much.

Kel smiled slightly; it was foolish of her to have even thought that there would possibly be movement when the likelihood was that most of the Third didn't even consider crawling into their tents until a few hours ago. She looked around again for Aiden, who was meant to be taking the watch after her. He was no where to be seen, so she headed for the large healing tent where Aiden usually slept. There were no patients in the healing tent, so Kel strode over to the small compartment that was Aiden's.

"Aiden?" she called through the closed tent flap. "Aiden? You're on watch duty now?"

There was no reply, so Kel opened the tent flap and slipped through. Aiden was sprawled, fully clothed on top of his blankets. This surprised Kel. Aiden was never one for drinking to excess – and when she had left the party, he'd been drinking juice, not ale.

"He was up late looking after some of the townsfolk who drank a little too much and fell off of or over things," a quiet voice said from behind her. "Leave him be, I'll take the watch."

Kel turned and smiled at Lerant. "But you've already done a shift today." Lerant had been on the same watch shift as she had been, only he had been guarding the north side of the camp and she had been stationed at the south.

Lerant shrugged. "And? I'm more than capable of doing another shift." He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a gently shove out of the tent. "Besides," he said a little quieter and with an expression on his face that Kel couldn't quite place. "I still owe him for when he saved my life. It's the least I can do."

Kel smiled at this. It was so typical of Lerant – he felt like everything had to paid back. He could never just accept anything for free. If someone did him a favour, he was forever looking for ways to repay that favour, and didn't rest easy until he felt that he was on an equal footing with the person who had done him the favour.

Grinning slightly, she replied, "Alright then, be a madman and take an extra shift."

Lerant nodded. "I shall be."

They walked in silence to where the south guard usually was placed and where Kel had left her things. Lerant settled down on a rock, and looked out across the lake. Looking at him, Kel saw he had a thoughtful, almost pensive look upon his face, and she collected her belongings together quietly so as not to disturb him. As she picked up her flask and put it in her bag, he caught her arm and she turned to look at him. There was an almost pleading look in his eyes.

"Stay?" he asked, and then almost as an afterthought added, "Please?"

Trying to keep the curiosity out of her eyes, Kel dropped her bag to the floor and leapt nimbly onto the rock so she was sitting beside him. In her mind, she ran over all of the possible reasons he could have for asking her to stay, and promptly discarded them all.

"Kel," he said, but his tone of voice made it sound like a question. She looked quickly at him in interest and then returned her gaze to the lake and the early dawn light which reflected off of the water. Bulrushes rustled as a duck slid into the water and on the far side of the lake, a small cat could be seen weaving in and out of the long grass. "You are being careful, aren't you?" Lerant asked.

With one eyebrow raised, she replied "Careful? About what?" He hardly meant the…obvious connotations that came with the word 'careful'.

"Stone Mountain."

"What about Joren?" was her suspicious reply.

"He hates you!"

Kel blinked. Lerant's reply was vehement and the way in which he spat it out made it sound as if it had been painful to say. With no idea as to what her reply should be, she opted to stay silent.

"However _he_ is acting, it's all just…just an act!" Lerant gestured energetically – too energetically for the time of the morning – and his eyes pleaded with her to believe him. "Just don't trust him, please. No matter how he behaves, he's still the same old Stone Mountain that we all hate. And he hates you most of all. You seem to represent everything that _he_ hates. Don't get too friendly with him. He's not worth it – at all."

"What brought this on?" Kel asked in confusion.

"Just be careful, please?" Lerant begged, and all Kel could do was nod. He smiled slightly and made shooing motions with his hands, saying "Now go and get some breakfast!"

* * *

She could feel his eyes on her as she chased the little girl around in a circle. The black-haired child laughed as she tripped over a large stick and ended up sprawled on her front on the grass. As Kel stopped her chasing to allow the child to get back up, the girl picked up the stick and, holding it in both hands, tried to swing it at Kel.

Kel laughed as she easily ducked the swing. "Not quite like that."

Small, dark eyes looked inquisitively at her and held out the stick.

"You want me to show you how?" Kel guessed, and was rewarded with wide eyes and a nod. "Well then, you want to hold it like this." She positioned her hands evenly on the stick, her right above her left and held it at a slight angle. "You try?" she asked, passing another large stick to the girl. Kel watched as, after several attempts, the child placed her hands on the stick exactly as Kel had and she gripped so hard her knuckles turned white. "No," Kel said gently. "Don't grip quite as hard." At this, the child's grip relaxed considerably. Kel smiled. "Good. Now, swing like this," she instructed, demonstrating and being careful not to hit the child. As the child repeated her movements precisely, Kel was aware of him shifting position slightly and he now stood leaning against a tree, his arms in his pocket and hair tucked behind his ears. She smiled as the girl put a little too much effort into a swing and almost toppled over. "Now, when I try to hit you, you put your stick in the way to stop me. Understand?" Wide eyes looked up at her and the girl nodded slowly. "Good." Kel moved her stick up so that it was at chest height for the child and moved it forwards gradually, giving her plenty of time to block the stick. The girl looked at the stick as it approached and slowly raised hers to prevent Kel from getting too near, but she had her hands position unequally, and even Kel's gentle force caused the stick to fall from the girl's hands. The stick was picked up, the instructions repeated and again, the stick was dropped, but this time because the girl seemed to shy away from Kel's impromptu weapon. Sighing, Kel turned to look at the figure watching them with what looked like disinterest. "Care to help?" she asked.

"You needn't make it sound like asking for help is so painful," Joren replied as he picked up the child's stick.

Kel rolled her eyes at him, then turned to the child. "You watch, and then we'll try again. Yes?"

The child nodded, regarding Joren with a look of curiosity that was overshadowed by the fear that Kel could see n her eyes.

"You attack, I'll defend. And slowly so she can see what we're doing," Kel instructed.

Joren gritted his teeth – apparently he didn't like taking orders from Kel, but nonetheless, he advanced slowly in her direction, swinging his stick with style, grace and confidence. _Or perhaps it's cockiness_, Kel thought as she saw the slight gleam in his eyes. She recognised that gleam – one she'd seen many times in her first (and only) year as a page. It was the 'I know I'm better at this than you' gleam, but she knew that at this one thing, she was better. Perhaps Lerant had been talking more truth than she gave him credit for. Kel winced as Joren's stick smashed into hers with a force she had, perhaps foolishly, not expected. The next strike though was more restrained, and she pushed him away, causing his stick to fall to the floor.

As Joren bent down to pick the stick up and handed it to the girl, he turned to face her and said grudgingly, "Good fight, Mindelan."

_Or then again, _Kel thought, _perhaps Lerant was wrong_. "Right," she said, addressing the child. "You try again. This time, hold on to the stick. Don't flinch away."

Gently, Kel swung towards the child, and, when her stick met the child's, the stick again fell to the ground. "Try again," Kel instructed.

This time, as the two sticks met, neither fell to the floor. Kel looked up in surprise and saw Joren standing behind the child, his hands next to hers, steadying the stick. His eyes seemed to dare her to say something. She was about to open her mouth to make a pert comment when the child standing between them grinned at her. "I did it!" she shrieked, her joy at her success evident.

* * *

A/N: Well…that has to be a record. The longest break I think I've ever had…Sorry!!!!

I'm not going to promise to update soon though, because if I do, you can guarantee I won't!! But, I have started work on the next chapter, which should be easier. This chapter was more of a chapter filler and I hated writing it. Hopefully, back to plot points next chapter, instead of setting up for future possible plot points!

Hannah


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